Raise your flags high as Branson honors Purple Heart Recipients April 24th & 25th.

This event is for those who were wounded in combat. Lets see flags flying high all over our city showing how much we appreciate those who gave so much!

Start your morning off right with FREE Continental Breakfast at the Dalena Ditto Morning Show! Breakfast served at 9am-10am. Showtime begins at 10am. Sit back and enjoy Dalena’s fresh interpretations of classic country favorites from Patsy Cline, Hank Williams, 50’s gospel, and many more! Call for tickets today! 417-239-1333.

BRANSON, MO – Myer Hotels of Branson is pleased to announce that the Comfort Inn & Suites Branson Meadows and the Comfort Inn at Thousand Hills have received the 2008-2009 Choice Hotels International Platinum Hospitality Award. This award is given to the top 3% within the Comfort Inn Brand, and is awarded each year to those hotels that receive the highest ratings in guest satisfaction surveys, and score highest in the quality assurance review process.

“Our staff and I remain committed to meeting and exceeding the lodging expectations of all guests who choose to stay at the Comfort Inn & Suites, “stated Steve Graber, General Manager of the Comfort Inn & Suites Branson Meadows. “We sincerely appreciate the opportunity to service our guests by providing top quality accommodations and exceptional value to Branson visitors, “added Bob Williams, General Manager of the Comfort Inn at Thousand Hills.

The Comfort Inn & Suites has previously been awarded Choice Hotels Platinum Award and was recognized as a 2008 finalist for “Inn of the Year” for exemplifying exceptional service, facilities and hospitality. The hotel also received the 2008 Small Business of the Year from the Branson Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce. This is the first Choice Hotels Platinum Award for the Comfort Inn at Thousand Hills, which has also won 10 Gold Awards from Choice Hotels and has also been a past finalist for “Comfort Inn of the Year.”

Chris Myer, VP of Marketing noted, “These awards testify to the fact that our hotel teams believe in our mission of ‘Friendly, Fantastic Service Always’ on a daily basis. We appreciate the teams’ effort at becoming a part of an elite group of hotels in the country and providing guests with great vacation experiences.”

About Myer Hotels

In the lodging business for 40 years, the Myer family has actively contributed to Branson’s hospitality market for over 25 years and received numerous national awards. Myer Hotels includes the Best Western Center Pointe Inn, Best Western Music Capital Inn, Comfort Inn at Thousand Hills, Comfort Inn & Suites Branson Meadows and Comfort Inn West. The properties emphasize excellent locations, countless amenities and exceptional customer service while focusing on great value in the upper mid-scale area. For more information about these hotels please visit www.myerhotels.com.

Kids of all ages are invited to Kids Rock, an outdoor festival of live music, food, sports competitions, video games and much more from 2:00p.m. to midnight, Saturday, April 18, 2009 at Area 57, next to Dick Clark’s American Bandstand Theater in Branson. Presented by the Boys & Girls Club of the Ozarks to benefit the Club’s after-school and summer programs, Kids Rock will include musical performances by American Kids, Rock U Mentally, Retro, Mile Zero and the Thundering Red Rockets.

The festival will also feature Guitar Hero® Showdowns, 3-on-3 Streetball Tournaments and Ping Pong Championships for both youths and adults. Children will enjoy inflatable fun, the rock climbing wall and the Pit-Stop Challenge. Works of art by Boys & Girls Club members will be judged and on display. The first, second and third place winners in each category will have an opportunity to advance to the National Boys & Girls Clubs of America Fine Arts contest.

Tickets to Kids Rock are available for $10 per person at any Boys & Girls Club or Country Mart location or at the gate on the day of the event. Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets. For more information, contact Natalie Snyder at 417.335.2089 x 230 or visit the Club’s website at www.bgcozarks.org.

About the Boys & Girls Club of the Ozarks
In 2008, the Boys & Girls Club of the Ozarks served more than 1,250 school-age youth through after-school, summer and outreach programs at its three locations. In addition to quality programs and activities, Boys & Girls Club members can receive a nutritious meal or snack, academic assistance and age-appropriate personal growth opportunities for only $25 per school year.

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For more information about the Boys & Girls Club of the Ozarks or the Kids Rock event, please contact Autumn Page at 417.335.2089 x 225 or 417.496.9404.

Branson, MO (April 10, 2009) – Ride The Ducks is Quackin’ for the Cure! Beginning April 15, 2009, Ride The Ducks in Branson will sell a limited edition “pink” version of their famous Wacky Quackers to raise money to support the fight against cancer.

While Ride The Ducks is proud to honor cancer survivors and those lost to cancer every day of the year, Quackin’ for the Cure gives our guests, families, friends and neighbors a way to make a difference in the fight. We Quack to remember those who have lost the battle, we Quack to support those who are fighting the battle and we Quack to celebrate those who have survived the battle!

We are Quackin’ for the Cure at both Ride The Ducks locations in Branson. Enjoy a 70-minute excursion through historic Downing Street in Hollister and splash into Lake Taneycomo for a ducks eye view of Branson Landing or set out on a 70-minute adventure that includes cruising Branson’s 76 Country Music Boulevard, fantastic views of the Ozarks, a trip across Table Rock Dam and a fun-filled splashdown into Table Rock Lake. The Lake Taneycomo excursion departs Branson Landing from the Ride The Ducks kiosk near Famous Dave’s. The Table Rock Lake adventure departs the Ride The Ducks dock at 2320 West Highway 76, just west of Wal-Mart on the 76 strip. Limited edition pink Wacky Quackers can be purchased at either ticketing location and inside Splash’s Candy Emporium and Gift Shop at the 2320 West Highway 76 location.

Ride The Ducks, the nation’s largest amphibious sightseeing company, offers unique land and water adventures that are fun, informative and family friendly. United States Coast Guard licensed Captains entertain guests with stories that you won’t want to miss and each guest receives one of their famous Wacky Quackers to quack along with the Captain. It’s the best way for guests to enjoy the sights, sounds and history of the Branson area.

Robby Hultz, Ride The Ducks General Manager in Branson, says “We are honored to rally support and raise money for the fight against cancer. We encourage our guests and the Branson community to join us in Quackin’ for the Cure by purchasing one of these limited edition pink Wacky Quackers.”

Ride The Ducks employees in Branson are also participating in the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life of Taney and Stone counties. Two Ride The Ducks teams are raising money for this important cause as another way to celebrate cancer survivors, remember those who were lost to cancer and fight back against the disease. Proceeds from the sale of the limited edition pink Wacky Quackers in Branson will benefit the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life.

Ride The Ducks International has entertained millions of guests in the United States with owned operations in Branson, Baltimore and Philadelphia and licensed operationss in San Francisco, Seattle, Stone Mountain Park, Georgia and Newport, Kentucky. The company will promote Quackin’ for the Cure at locations across the country in 2009. Ride The Ducks International is a subsidary of Herschend Family Entertainment (HFE). HFE owns numerous entertainment venues, including Silver Dollar City, Showboat Branson Belle and White Water in Branson, MO.

Ride The Ducks operates seven days a week during daylight hours. Tickets can be purchased by calling 877-887-8225. Special discounts apply for groups of 15 or more. For more information about Ride The Ducks in Branson, visit www.bransonducks.com.

Branson has some new ideas about how to draw in tourists and make the city a little greener. City leaders are interested in creating a Nature Center along Highway 76 and Fall Creek Road. This project would be modeled after the nature center in Springfield.

Alderman Rick Davis says he believes it can only help Branson. “We have so many visitors from out of town. 30,000 cars a day travel past this sight so it could really make a big difference in educating people about one of the reasons people come to Branson, the natural beauty,” said Davis.

That’s why Davis is trying to gather supporters of the project. Retired High School teacher Clark Harris is one them. He’s also the current chairman of the Branson Zoning Board. He says the center will generate interest from schools. “It’s often a concern of teachers how do you get students out into nature. How do you get them to relate to nature and to connect to nature,” said Harris.

Harris says a nature center would also offer people a chance to learn more about conservation and wildlife.” You get this great diversity of animals and plants that are there and you can see it all at a very short difference. It’s history, it’s nature. It’s all together and its what the Ozarks is all about,” said Harris.

Davis says funding is the roadblock for this project. He says the size of the nature center will depend on the amount of money available.
“If you ask citizens locally, generally speaking yeah, they think it’s a great idea. I’m sure they don’t want to see an increase in taxes to pay for it.”

Davis says the city plans to apply for federal and state grants to generate the funding. He says the city is also open to making partnerships with local companies. Harris says he’s just happy to see the idea is moving forward. “It’s going to take a while but i can see it being something really great for everybody, visitors and residents alike,” said Harris.

Davis says the city already held one town meeting about this issue in March. The community seemed to respond well to the idea. He says the city will continue to keep everyone informed as plans move forward.

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The Voice of Branson Allen Edwards is the next guest on the Gene Williams Country Music TV Show that is taped live in Branson, Mo., telecast nationwide to more than 100 markets and can also be seen in Canada.
“My friend Allen Edwards is known as the voice of Branson. He is a former Houston law enforcement officer and now in his 15th season in Branson. Allen headlines breakfast, lunch, and dinner shows at the World’s Largest Golden Corral, in his own dining showroom. His is a great talent,” said Gene Williams, the star and creator of the Telly Award-winning show that was taped live at the 50’s at the Hop Theatre at the Shoppes at Branson Meadows.

The TV show with Edwards will be telecast April 18 and 19.

Williams will be taking a short break from the hectic schedule he has had for eight years in Branson due to health problems. A hiatus from taping his live show to help fix the problem has been recommended. The Gene Williams Country Music TV Show will continue to be aired in Springfield, Branson, Little Rock, Jonesboro, Ark., Nashville, St. Louis, Decatur, Ill., Ada and Ardmore, Okla., Sherman/Denison, Texas, plus on RTN which is over 100 stations including 11 of the top 30 markets in the nation.

Williams began his country music television show in Arkansas almost 50 years ago and for the past eight years has taped the show in Branson live before a studio audience. Guests have included Ed McMahon, Mickey Gilley, the Oak Ridge Boys, Roy Clark, Johnny Lee, Barbara Fairchild, Sons of the Pioneers, the Osmonds, Johnny Cash’s band The Tennessee Three, the Blackwood Brothers, Helen Cornelius, Leona Williams, Charlie Louvin, Mary Lou Turner, Cal Smith, Stonewall Jackson, Norma Jean, “Diamond” Dave Somerville, Little Jimmy Dickens, Porter Wagoner, Jim Owen, Buck Trent and Wanda Jackson.

Williams’ co-host Katie Lynn has received the Branson Entertainment Awards Best Support Vocalist twice for her work in the “Mickey Gilley Show.” She has worked with Gilley for more than eight years and also worked with Jim Owen for seven years. In addition to her singing career, she is a real estate agent. She and the guest stars perform weekly on the television show with the Country Junction Band.