BRANSON AIRPORT PREPARES FOR STORM SEASON WITH STATE WIDE TORNADO DRILL

BRANSON, MISSOURI (March 12, 2012) – In light of the recent tornado that swept through the Branson area on February 29th, the Branson Airport is now, more than ever, prepared for future severe storms. On Tuesday, March 13th at 1:30pm, tornado sirens will sound all across Missouri for the state wide tornado drill. At that time, Airport staff will participate in taking cover in the designated shelters and practice proper procedure for storm safety with airport passengers.

The Missouri Department of Public Safety and the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) explain that “Severe weather can strike at any time in Missouri, making it important for our communities to be prepared to take shelter in any location. The Statewide Tornado Drill is an excellent opportunity for Missourians to practice their sheltering plans and ensure readiness in the case of a severe weather emergency. The statewide drill allows schools, businesses and families to be assured that they are able to seek appropriate shelter quickly and safely prior to an actual severe weather emergency. By practicing and increasing readiness across the state, Missourians will feel confident and prepared in the event of actual severe weather emergencies.”

Branson Airport is proud to be a StormReady Supporter among others in Missouri including: Bush Stadium/ St. Louis Cardinals, FEMA Region VII Headquarters, KCTV5 (Kansas City), SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center, and the St. Louis Zoo. “StormReady Supporters and StormReady communities are better prepared to save lives from the onslaught of severe weather through advanced planning, education and awareness. No community is storm proof, but StormReady can help communities save lives.”

Jeff Bourk, Executive Director of Branson Airport, stated “With the recent announcement on January 20th of Southwest Airlines committing to serve Branson, Missouri and to convert AirTran Airways at Branson Airport to Southwest Airlines operations over time; it will mean that more people will be using the airport for both business and leisure travel. This makes being prepared for a large scale disaster at the airport more important than ever.”

Branson Airport now has 9 non-stop destinations, including its newest daily service to Chicago and Houston. The airport also has one stop connecting service to most major cities in the United States via AirTran Airways and Frontier Airlines. For a complete list of destinations available at the Branson Airport, visit www.FlyBranson.com.

About Branson Airport:
Opening its doors May of 2009, Branson Airport LLC is the first privately developed and operated commercial service airport in the United States. The airport is served by AirTran Airways (a wholly owned subsidiary of Southwest Airlines), Frontier Airlines and Branson AirExpress. Located in the heart of the Ozarks and centrally located in the Midwest, the airport also boasts a state of the art FBO, Branson JetCenter and a full service travel agency and public charter operator, FlyBranson Travel LLC d/b/a Branson AirExpress. For more information on Branson Airport LLC and any of its subsidiaries please visit FlyBranson.com.

A Health and Ministry EXPO will be held at the Tri-Lakes Center, 2527 State Hwy 248 in Branson, MO on Friday, March 23, Noon to 8 pm; and, Saturday, March 24, from 10 am to 8 pm.
Scheduled to appear will be 75 area health, wellness and spiritual exhibitors with entertainment provided by SIX, Hughes Brothers, Jarrett Doughtery, Clay Cooper, Buckets N Boards, American Idols’s Jason Yeager, Voices of Glory, Allen Asbury and more!
Admission is $5.00 at the door for a one-day admission, $8.00 for both days, and children 12 and under are FREE! Please bring one non perishable food item for Christian Action Ministries’ Food Bank. FREE and low-cost health screenings, FREE raffles and door prizes, seminars and Zumba classes will also be offered. Mini Golf and Veggie Tale screenings of Robin Good will be on-going during the event. For more information call (417) 336-3636

For additional information, please contact:
John Sacoulas
149 Grand Avenue
Branson, MO 65616

[email protected]
417-336-3636; or, 417-353-7598

College of the Ozarks President Jerry C. Davis was named President of the American Association of Presidents of Independent Colleges and Universities (AAPICU) during the Association’s annual meeting held February 23-25, 2012.

Dr. Davis has served in the college presidency for over three decades, among the longest tenures in the United States, and continues to serve as President of College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Missouri.

Called “Hard Work U.” by The Wall Street Journal, College of the Ozarks is a four-year college where all students earn their education by working, rather than paying tuition. Each student works 15 hours each week and two 40-hour work weeks at an on-campus job. College of the Ozarks has become a thriving, four-year, nationally recognized institution committed to a five-fold mission of encouraging academic, Christian, cultural, vocational, and patriotic growth in its students.

Numerous national publications, including Forbes, U.S. News & World Report, Kaplan Newsweek, The Princeton Review, and the Young America’s Foundation, consistently recognize College of the Ozarks as one of the best colleges in the nation. In recent years, the College has been featured on Fox News, ABC, and CBS news segments.

Prior to College of the Ozarks, Dr. Davis was President of Alice Lloyd College in Kentucky. Among his many professional memberships are serving on the board of the Marine Military Academy and as a peer review team chair for the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association.

President Davis is the author of several books and articles and has received much recognition, including The Missourian Award–given to Missouri’s most outstanding leaders.

Dr. Davis and his wife, Shirley, have been married for 46 years. They have three grown children, eight grandchildren, and one “on the way.”

President Davis may be reached at 417-690-2470 or [email protected]. For more information on AAPICU, visit www.aapicu.org.

Sean Casey, popular star of the Discovery Channel’s “Storm Chasers” and daring Tornado Alley large-format filmmaker, will make a special appearance with the TIV (Tornado Intercept Vehicle) March 16, 17 and 18 at Branson’s IMAX Entertainment Complex.

Over the course of his career, Casey has filmed volcanoes, hurricanes, and earthquakes. The depth of his experience working in severe weather, as well as the impressive library of IMAX tornado footage he has amassed leading up to Tornado Alley’s release, served the production well.

“We spent eight years shooting dozens of tornadoes, probably eighteen tornadoes for the film,” says Casey.

Casey currently stars in the Discovery Channel’s “Storm Chasers” reality series, which is the number-one rated Sunday night cable show on television. In addition, Casey is an inventor of sorts, having designed two tornado intercept vehicles, or TIVs. In 2008, Discover magazine named Casey one of the fifty best minds of the year.

The special weekend will begin a series of events scheduled during the 19th Annual IMAX FilmFest highlighting individual films from within the larger celebration.

“I’m really looking forward to coming to Branson’s IMAX Entertainment Complex with the TIV. They’ve been big supporters of the film, and I greatly appreciate the invitation,” says Casey. “It’s especially meaningful to visit after the recent tornado outbreak. Tornado Alleyis first and foremost about the study of tornado genesis in the hopes of increasing warning times, and when I meet people whose lives have been affected by severe weather, it reinforces to me just how important this research is.”

The weekend will include fundraising efforts to benefit Convoy of Hope, a faith-based organization that has served more than 50 million people throughout the world through international children’s feeding initiatives, community outreaches, and disaster response.

“We’ll have Sean here and Convoy of Hope representatives,” says Tom Forster, Marketing Director for Branson’s IMAX Entertainment Complex. “We’d like to see the community come out and have a great time, see the TIV, meet Sean, take some pictures…and become more informed about what Convoy of Hope does, what efforts they’re making in response to our recent tornadoes, and of course, donate what they can.”

With each ticket sold to Tornado Alley during the three-day event, Branson’s IMAX Entertainment Complex will be making a donation to Convoy of Hope.

Sean Casey, the TIV and Convoy of Hope will be available:

• Friday, March 16 – 1:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
• Saturday, March 17 – 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
• Sunday, March 18 – 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

The 2012 IMAX FilmFest begins on March 9 and continues through May 10, with a different film showing every hour, on the hour from 9 am to 8 pm. For showtimes or more information, call 417-335-4832 or log on to www.bransonimax.com.

Branson’s IMAX Entertainment Complex will kick-off the 2012 season of exhilarating Giant-Screen IMAX Adventures with the 19th Annual IMAX FilmFest, March 9 thru May 10, 2012, featuring five all-new films.

With breathtaking, crystal clear images projected onto an enormous 6-story tall screen, accompanied by a 22,000-watt, 44-speaker state-of–the-art digital surround sound system, IMAX FilmFest audiences feel like they’re part of the action as they travel to some of the universe’s most exotic and dynamic locations…without ever leaving their seats.

The 2012 IMAX FilmFest line-up includes:

To The Arctic
Journey deep into the Arctic! See into the lives of a mother polar bear & her cubs. Captivating and intimate footage brings you up close & personal with their struggle to survive a landscape of melting ice, immense glaciers, spectacular waterfalls and majestic snow-bound peaks. Narrated by Meryl Streep.

Rescue
Take action and save lives! Explore the difficult & inspiring work of those serving & saving others in the face of natural disasters. Follow a naval commander, two pilots and a volunteer technician as they train for action. When an earthquake strikes Haiti, the audience is swept along, joining with the worldwide effort.

Titanic – Ghosts of the Abyss
Return to the TITANIC! Joined by actor Bill Paxton and a team of historical and marine experts, legendary director James Cameron journeys back to the site of his greatest inspiration — the TITANIC. Explore inside the entire ship, room by room, encountering mysteries that have remained hidden for a century.

Tornado Alley
Make a thrilling journey…into the heart of a tornado! Join Storm Chasers star Sean Casey & the researchers of VORTEX 2, on this heart-pounding adventure. Through gale force winds, torrential rains and unrelenting hail, go on a quest to experience a tornado’s destructive power at point blank range.

The Living Sea
Celebrate the beauty and power of the ocean! Audiences will swim among thousands of golden jellyfish, come face-to-face with humpback whales, surf thundering waves in Hawaii and ride in a Coast Guard Rescue boat with cadets training to save lives. Featuring music by Sting.

IMAX utilizes the world’s largest film format – ten times larger than conventional 35mm film. The design of the Ozarks Discovery Theater, inside the IMAX Entertainment Complex, ensures every attendee has an unobstructed view and places the audience right in the on-screen action. IMAX theaters also feature a specially designed screen that has a slight curvature, which extends beyond the audiences peripheral field of view.

Last year, worldwide more than 75 million people visited an IMAX theater, and more than 800 million have passed through the doors of an IMAX theater since the first one opened 35 years ago.

The 2012 IMAX FilmFest begins on March 9 and continues through May 10, with a different film showing every hour, on the hour from 9 am to 8 pm. For showtimes or more information, call 417-335-4832 or log on to www.bransonimax.com.

AUDITIONS FOR 2012 SEASON
Casting for young and youthful looking SINGERS, DANCERS and ACTORS (ages 16-25) who can play teenagers with lots of personality and energy in a musical tribute to “The Brady Bunch.

Come wearing your favorite “Brady Bunch” look!

Must be able to move well!

3 female parts
3 male parts

TUESDAY, MARCH 6th 4:00PM
CALLBACKS WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7th 4:00pm

Yakov Smirnoff Theatre
470 State Hwy 248, Branson MO 65616
(800) 728-4546, www.yakov.com

SINGERS
Come prepared to sing with or without a backing track. If you choose to sing with a track you must provide your own track. Music should be young and upbeat, happy!

DANCERS
Prepare a one minute routine to an upbeat happy number a la “Brady Bunch”

ACTORS
Prepare a one minute young, comedic monologue

For more information, contact Kristin at [email protected] &/or 206-281-0885

Greg Thompson Productions, 921 Elliott Ave West, Seattle, WA 98119 (206) 281-0885 [email protected]
www.gregthompsonproductions.com

College of the Ozarks sustained minor damage from last night’s storm, limited to a few downed trees and tree limbs. However the campus phone service has been interrupted due to the storm damage to the Branson area at large. Currently, the most effective way to reach staff, faculty and students is by e-mail or cell phone.

The College family sends prayers to those in the area who were affected by the storm.

College of the Ozarks Presents “Little Women”
By: Ashley Bench

College of the Ozarks’ departments of Theatre and Music will present the spring musical, “Little Women,” at 7:30 p.m., on March 2, 3, 5 and 6. A Sunday matinee will begin at 2:30 p.m., on March 4.

Produced by a special arrangement with Music Theatre International, “Little Women,” with music by Jason Howland and lyrics by Mindi Dickstein, effectively displays the hardships of a family of four sisters and their mother, the Marches, during the civil war. Based on the novel by Louisa May Alcott, the March family develops a bond that can never be broken and learn to have a hopeful endurance with every situation life brings. Playwright Allan Knee seeks to touch the hearts of many through the emotional heartaches and the joys of each sister.

C of O sophomore Matt Matney will play the part of Mr. Laurence, a wealthy neighbor to the March family. “For years young women have read the stories of Jo and dreamed of being one of the March sisters in ‘Little Women,’ and I think that’s one of the best concepts of this musical,” says Matney. “It takes the classic story so many young girls connect with and combines it with a beautiful score that adults will enjoy as well. It truly is a family event that intrigues several generations of avid readers and theatre patrons.”

Regular adult tickets are $15. Tickets for senior citizens are $13, students are $13 and children 12 and under are $11. C of O Associates will receive free admission to one performance upon presentation of their Associates Card. Guests of Associates are $5.

The Keeter Center’s Dobyns Dining Room is offering a special dinner and show package for $35 per person. Guests will enjoy a three-course dinner and be provided with preferred seating for the production. On Friday and Saturday only, there will be a special dessert reception during intermission for the guests who purchased the dinner and show package. The Keeter Center is also offering a special lodging package that includes tickets to the show.

For further information or to make a reservation for the dinner and show package or for more information on the special lodging package, please call The Keeter Center at 690-2146 or visit the website at www.keetercenter.edu. This production is open to the public and requires advance ticket reservations by calling the Theatre Box Office at (417) 690-2626.

Ralph Foster Museum To Host Area Appreciation- February 1-11, 2012
By: Chelsea Kliethermes

The Ralph Foster Museum at College of the Ozarks will host area appreciation with free admission from February 1-11, for the residents of Boone, Carroll, Christian, Greene, Stone and Taney counties.

The Ralph Foster Museum is dedicated to the history of the Ozarks region. The museum is named in honor of the late Ralph D. Foster (radio pioneer and philanthropist) the museum houses thousands of objects representing archaeology, history, firearms, antiques, numismatics, natural history, fine arts, geology and mineralogy.

Among other things, the museum houses the original Beverly Hillbillies car, Music Hall of Fame, and Rosie O’Neil’s Kewpie Doll Collection and one of the largest gun collections in the country.

The Ralph Foster Museum is open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For further information, please contact the Museum at 417-690-3407.