The Diamond Awards, which honor the best in Southern Gospel music, will be handed out in July during the the inaugural Branson Gospel Music Convention. And Southern Gospel fans are being asked to nominate their favorite artists for awards.

You can nominate your favorite artist in categories like Living Legend, Group of the Year, Trio of the Year, Bluegrass Gospel Artist of the Year, Christian Comedian of the Year, Male and Female Vocalists of the Year, and more. Even better, there’s no multiple choice options. You can nominate any Southern Gospel artist you want.

Head over to the Diamond Awards website to nominate your favorite Southern Gospel artist. Deadline for voting is February 20, 2009.

The first Annual Branson Gospel Music Convention will be held July 14-17, 2009 at the new Branson Convention Center. The inaugural event will focus on celebrating the legends and legacy of Southern Gospel music and will feature appearances by national and regional artists. Artists scheduled to appear so far include the Blackwood Quartet, The Stamps, The Florida Boys, and The Chuck Wagon Gang. The venue will feature 240 exhibit booths for artists and a 1650 seat auditorium for showcase and main event concerts.

For complete information on the Branson Gospel Music Convention, visit the event website.

Titanic Branson will host a live, Carnegie Hall, preview performance by the Carl Junction Junior High Mixed Chorus to help fund the group’s travel expenses to New York City, announces Mary Kellogg Joslyn, Ttianic Museum Attraction co-owner. This free, one-day only, choir performance will be held by the ship’s bow, located at the intersection of State Highway 76 and Gretna Road in Branson, MO, on Saturday, January 17, 2009 as part of the Third Annual Titanic Branson Ice Sculpturing Event being held from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Proceeds from Museum Attraction admissions received between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. on January 17th will be donated to the Carl Junction Junior High School to help send 58 students to Carnegie Hall in New York City. “This could be a life changing experience for these talented kids,” Kellogg Joslyn says, “and all of us at Titanic Branson feel privileged to be able to help make this happen.”

Carl Junction Junior High Mixed Chorus was selected to perform at Carnegie Hall in recognition of its quality and high level of musicianship. “Our boys and girls will join six ensembles from the United States and Europe who will be performing in the prestigious hall on Monday, April 13, 2009, under the direction of Dr. Patrick Freer of Georgia State University.” explains Doug Campbell, Vocal Music instructor at the junior high school. Carl Junction is a suburb of Joplin, MO with a population of 6,457. There are 500 students enrolled in the town’s Junior High School – 138 of them sing in the choir.

Admission to the Titanic Museum Attraction during the 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.period will be specially priced at $30 per ticket and $50 for two, with proceeds going to the Carl Junction Junior High School Mixed Chorus to help cover the groups traveling expenses to New York City. Estimated cost per student is $2,000.

The World’s Largest TITANIC Museum Attraction is the new landmark family destination in Branson, Missouri. In operation for just over two years, it has welcomed aboard more than one million guests. The 7,000-square-foot ship-shaped structure – built half-scale to Titanic’s original size – towers more than 100 feet above its anchored position on Highway 76. A 90-minte self-guided or optional audio tour covers 20 galleries on two decks that display more than 400 priceless artifacts that once belonged to Titanic passengers or crew.

BRANSON, MO – The US Coast Guard Auxiliary, 8th Western Rivers District, will be hosting its “FALCON” District Fall Conference in Branson, Missouri, on September 18 and 19, 2009. Over 200 members are expected from 13 nearby states comprising the 8th Western Rivers District. The “FALCON” District Conference includes training, a business meeting, Friday Fun Night, and banquet with an awards ceremony.

The US Coast Guard Auxiliary is the uniformed civilian component the United States Coast Guard dedicated to the safety of recreational boaters through teaching boating safety classes, examining boats for safety equipment and patrolling local lakes – helping stranded boaters. With the proper training, a qualified Auxiliarist can also support all Coast Guard missions except law enforcement. There are over 35,000 Auxiliarists nationwide donating their time to support the US Coast Guard and its missions.

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