World Exclusive:Titanic Branson Selected as Sole Exhibitor of Unsinkable Molly Brown’s Privately Held Artifact Collection

Legendary Margaret Tobin Brown’s Great-granddaughter to Dedicate Molly Brown Gallery Thursday, March 22, 2012

Branson, Mo., November, 2011 – Her real name was Margaret “Maggie” Tobin Brown, but the world knew her best as the irascible, indestructible Unsinkable “Molly” Brown. “Beginning January 2012, hundreds of thousands of visitors to the Titanic Museum Attraction in Branson, Missouri, will explore the myth, lore and legacy of this larger-than-life Titanic heroine,” announces John Joslyn, owner of the Titanic Museum Attractions and leader of the first private expedition’s dive to the wreck site.

According to Brown’s great-granddaughter, Helen Benziger, “My great-grandmother was born in 1867 in Hannibal, Missouri. She made a name for herself in Denver, Colorado, and around the world, with an indomitable spirit that charmed European society and helped her survive the Titanic disaster.

“I was about 13 years old, sitting in a darkened movie theater watching Debbie Reynolds in The Unsinkable Molly Brown, when my mother finally told me that the fictional Molly Brown on screen was, in reality, based on the life of my great-grandmother, Margaret Tobin Brown. Since that unbelievable moment, I have devoted much of my life to keeping her legacy alive.

“Now, I’m thrilled and excited to know that the extensive Molly Brown Artifact Collection will have a new home at the Titanic Museum Attraction in Branson, Missouri, not too far from where my great-grandmother was born,” Benziger adds.

Featured pieces in the collection include furniture, crystal glassware from Ireland, artwork, photographs, Titanic memorabilia and many other treasures gathered from around the world to grace the Denver mansion Maggie shared with her millionaire mining husband, J.J. Brown.

And for the first time anywhere…

Museum attraction guests will see original costumes worn by Debbie Reynolds in the movie The Unsinkable Molly Brown, including the pale-green, elaborately beaded silk gown she wore while celebrating her birthday abroad in Paris.

“Helen Benziger was in Branson to help us launch the museum attraction in 2006. She inspired us all,” says Joslyn, “and we’re honored to welcome her back Thursday, March 22, 2012, to dedicate our new gallery, entirely devoted to her great-grandmother.

The Titanic Museum Attractions in Branson, Mo. open daily at 9 a.m. Reservations are strongly suggested, as many dates sell out entirely. Tickets may be purchased online at titanicattraction.com or by phone at 800-381-7670.

Cedar Bay Entertainment owns and operates Titanic Museum Attractions in Branson, Mo., and Pigeon Forge, Tenn. A privately owned-and-operated entertainment and development company, Cedar Bay is headquartered in Branson, site of its first Titanic Museum Attraction. Titanic Branson has welcomed aboard more than four million guests, while Titanic Pigeon Forge boards approximately 100,000 “passengers” a month.

From now until the end of the year we would like to offer our local residents 20% off any purchase at our Branson Mount Pleasant Winery location. This applies to anyone living or working in Taney, Stone or Christian counties. Please bring in your proof of residency or your proof of employment. Happy Holidays!

The Titanic Museum Attraction in Branson, MO will be closing on August 21st, 2011 at 5:00pm; and will reopen August 23rd at 9:00am. We will be closed the 22nd in order to move Mr. James Cameron’s Titanic model, which he has so kindly lent to us.

The Titanic Museum Attraction in Branson, Missouri is the site chosen to host the 2012 National Ice Carving Competition, a preliminary for competitors to end up in the city of Sochi, Russia, the host city for the XXII Olympic Winter Games in 2014. The two-day event will be held on Sat., Feb. 4, and Sun., Feb. 5, 2012.
“We are very excited to have the Titanic in Branson host the 2012 NICA U.S. Nationals. This two-day ice carving competition brings the nation’s best ice carvers together for a chance at the title of NICA U.S. Nationals Champion. This will be one of our premier stops on NICA’s International Tour Champions Ice Carving Competition Circuit, currently the largest circuit in the world,” said Jeff Petercsak, Executive Director, National Ice Carving Association.

The NICA US National Championship is one of the toughest competitions in the world, crowning three premier champions from this event; Speed Carving Champion, Professional Division US Champion, and US National Champion.

“Since 1991, the National Ice Carving Championships have been the premier event in the United States that crowns NICA’s National Champion. You must qualify at this event by placing first, second, or third at any NICA sanctioned competition or scoring a bronze medal in your lifetime to compete,” remarked Ross Summers, President/CEO of the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce and CVB. “This two-day event boasts a large prize purse of $25,000!”

The Master Division will carve three blocks of ice on Saturday and one block of ice on Sunday. The Professional Division will carve one block of ice on Saturday and two blocks of ice on Sunday. Dimensions of each block of ice are 40x20x10 inches and each ice block weighs in at 300 pounds. Carvers will use a large array of tools such as chainsaws, chisels, blowtorches, hot irons, knives, drills, and much more.

Each carver is evaluated by a panel of NICA (National Ice Carving Association) judges on the following categories: First impression; Utilization of ice; Technical skill (features, textures or effects); Attention to detail; Appearance; Structural technique; Proportion and symmetry; Design & composition; Creativity (technique, topic, theme); and Artistic impression.
2010 Nationals were held in Fairbanks, Alaska. In 2008 and 2009, the Nationals were held in Chicago/Downers Grove, Ill. During the 2010 Olympics in Richmond, BC, Canada, the USA NICA carvers won 1st and 5th places in the Ice Division.
“The Titanic Museum has been a great supporter of NICA competitions in the past and we are very excited that the city of Branson was chosen to host our National Championships. It is where the best ice sculptors in the country compete and where one, and only one, competitor will be crowned the 2012 National Champion,” stated Stephan Koch, 2011 NICA President.

In honor of the twelve honeymoon couples – Titanic Branson and Titanic Pigeon Forge will host a Royal Wedding on the $1 million Grand Staircase – potential brides will submit their videos explaining why they would like to be married on the Grand Staircase. Titanic Crew will pick three brides for each location and the web viewer will pick (by voting) which couple will be married on the Grand Staircase. Plus the web viewers will pick her dress, flowers, cake and honeymoon destination. A very active web component to the honor bestowed.

Contest begins August 1st, 2011

Big Cedar invites kids ages 7-13 to come learn basic camping skills at this fun day camp held in the great outdoors. The kids will get to pitch a tent, build a fire, enjoy archery, rifle shooting, identify plants and animals, play games, and sing a new song. Transportation to and from Dogwood Canyon Nature Park, admission, morning snack, campfire lunch, and a drawstring backpack full of goodies are included.

Meet at Big Cedar’s Guest Services at 8:45am. These camps take place on Saturday’s from 9:00am – 2:00pm and are $50 per participant. Please call Guest Services at 1-800-225-6343 for reservations or more information. Reservations are required.

Branson Stars Set June 26, 2011 Joplin Benefit Concert & Telethon

(Branson, Mo. 6-14-2011) “Send donations for Joplin now” is the message the Branson community wants to deliver on June 26, 2011, during the live concert and telethon being staged by the Southwest Missouri town known as the “live music show capital of the world”. The live benefit concert will be at The Mansion Theatre and tickets are on sale now for a minimum donation of $50 by calling 1-866-707-4100 or visiting JoplinBenefit.com.
As of this date the jam-packed night of special entertainment will include performances and appearances from stars and celebrities including:
Jim Stafford
Shoji Tabuchi
Liverpool Legends
Carrie April Tillis
Hughes Brothers Show
Todd Oliver & his talking dogs
The Lennon Sisters
Baldknobbers Jamboree
Acrobats of China
The Duttons of America’s Got Talent
Buck Trent
J. Eddie Peck from the Young & the Restless
Barbara Fairchild
Grand Country Music Hall
God and Country Theatre
Pierce Arrow Theatre
3 Redneck Tenors of America’s Got Talent
The Haygoods
Jim Barber of Hamner-Barber Variety Show
Tom Mullica as Red Skelton
Legends In Concert
Kirby VanBurch
Showboat Branson Belle
Doug Gabriel
Sons of the Pioneers
Circle B Cowboy Show
The Brett Family
Branson Variety Theatre
Legends of Kung Fu
Presley’s Jubilee…and more!
Joplin, Missouri was hit by an EF5 tornado that brought winds exceeding 200 mph, destroying over 8,000 homes, 400 businesses, 5 schools, and St John’s Regional Medical Center (Mercy Health Joplin). “Joplin is a great neighbor and folks there need for their community to be made whole again,” said Ann Stafford, event organizer and co-owner of the Jim Stafford Theatre in Branson. “Branson’s stars and our local businesses and volunteers want to help that process happen. We believe assisting St John’s Mercy Hospital to operate while rebuilding is vital to the stability and health of the entire community both economically and spiritually. We also believe that as musicians and show people, who make our living from the arts, that it is important to the children of Joplin to also have their music programs put back in place.” Proceeds from the concert and telethon will go to St John’s Mercy Hospital and to the Joplin Schools’ music programs.
St John’s Mercy Health Systems has committed to keeping all 2200 employees on the payroll indefinitely. “That’s a big undertaking for a non-profit,” adds Stafford, “and essential to the economic vitality of the entire Joplin community, and in fact to Branson as well as to Missouri.”
The Joplin High School’s loss in musical instruments alone exceeds $280,000. “Our goal is to reach out to everyone to donate instruments or to purchase instruments for the kids through a silent auction being held on the 26th during the live concert. There’s a list of specific instruments needed at JoplinBenefit.com,” said Jim Barber, President of The League of Theatre Owners & Show Producers as well as co-star of the Hamner-Barber Variety Show & Theatre. “We believe that by keeping the music alive in the schools, the lives of the children of Joplin will be enriched during this time of recovery.” Instruments may be dropped off at the College of the Ozarks Christian Ministries offices, The Mansion Theatre, any Palen Music Stores and Hoover Music Store in Springfield, Missouri or at any of the Mercy Health Systems offices.
The show will be broadcast live via television, radio and the internet. As of press time the following had announced their air times:
KOAM-TV and FOX 14 in Joplin, Missouri from 7-10pm Central Time
RFD-TV network from 7-10pm
Access channels on Mediacom stations through the Midwest,
CW affiliates in Springfield MO, Wichita KS, and Fayetteville AR; ABC affiliate in Fayetteville AR; the NBC affiliate in Victoria TX; and the CBS affiliate in Greenville MS.
The Branson Cares Benefit will be available via satellite for television broadcast from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. KOAM-TV and Fox 14 in Joplin are producing the show and have graciously donated the equipment, labor, and the satellite services for this event. The event will also be closed captioned provided by Caption Solutions of Lawrence KS. (Metro Sports of Kansas City and Freebird TV of Olathe, KS provided the production truck and satellite truck, respectively).
The League of Branson Theater Owners and Show Producers (The Branson Show League) is producing the Joplin Benefit Concert & Telethon presented by Branson Cares. Other Sponsors of the event are KOAM-TV, the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce & CVB, a variety of area businesses, and numerous volunteers.
KOAM, in providing the live broadcast of the show and facilitating the satellite uplink, is making it possible for the telethon to be shown in communities throughout the country, with those station placement efforts currently underway. Viewers are advised to call their local TV stations to check the schedule to see if their hometown stations are airing the Joplin Benefit Concert and Telethon presented by Branson Cares.

Donations to the Joplin relief effort may be made to:
Branson Cares Joplin Benefit
c/o The League of Branson Theatre Owners and Show Producers
Post Office Box 5083
Branson, Missouri 65615
Or by visiting JoplinBenefit.com

Titanic Museum Attractions Will Send 12 People on 11-Day
“Back to Titanic” Trips to Belfast, Ireland

PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. and BRANSON, Mo. – June 13, 2011 – To commemorate Titanic’s Irish heritage, Titanic Museum Attractions in Branson, Mo. and Pigeon Forge, Tenn. will give away six 11-day trips for two to Belfast beginning today. The 12 winners of the “Back to Titanic 100th Year ‘Tour Ireland’ Sweepstakes” will go to Belfast where they will visit the birthplace of the world’s best-known, most luxurious ocean liner.
Winners receive airfare to and from Ireland, ground transportation, and hotel accommodations. The Back to Titanic 100th Anniversary Tour begins in Belfast, where winners will learn the history behind the world’s most famous ocean liner. Their journey continues in Dublin where they’ll take advantage of everything the beautiful city has to offer. They’ll also have a special presentation by Rory Golden which will include the first-ever images of the discovered Titanic wreck and the impact Titanic has had on society. Winners will experience many breathtaking areas of Ireland with guided tours and exclusive events taking place in Belfast, Dublin, Cobh and Kilkenny offered only to these travelers!

To enter the “Back to Titanic 100th Year ‘Tour Ireland’ Sweepstakes,” simply visit www.TitanicAttraction.com and click on the sweepstakes banner to register. Each person entering the sweepstakes may enter one time per day between June 13, 2011 and Feb. 1, 2012. The winner will be drawn in early February 2012.

In May 1911, the RMS Titanic slid down Slipway No. 3 at the Queen’s Yard of Harland & Wolff and settled on the waters of the Victoria Channel in Belfast, Ireland while more than 100,000 people looked on. At the time, she was the largest movable manmade object on the face of the planet. In the coming months, RMS Titanic would complete numerous successful sea trials with Irish workers and crew members on board.
The following April, when Titanic set sail on her maiden voyage, the world watched as the A-List celebrities of the day – the Astors, the Strauses and Guggenheims – boarded alongside everyday working-class people. Four days later, after striking an iceberg on her starboard side, those same diverse passengers would carry out amazing acts of generosity, kindness and heroism as well as unthinkable acts of cowardice as they struggled for their lives in the early morning hours of April 15, 1912.

It has been 99 years since a lookout in the crow’s nest shouted, “Iceberg right ahead!” For the twelve months leading up to April 15, 2012, when it will have been a century since the RMS Titanic was lost, Titanic Museum Attractions will pay respect to and honor those 2,208 passengers and crew members with an ongoing series of special events, activities and ceremonies.

As the whole world remembers the world’s most famous luxury liner, Titanic Museum Attractions will continue to open the door to the past in it’s one-of-a-kind way – letting “passengers” experience what it was like to walk the hallways, parlors, cabins and Grand Staircase of the Titanic while surrounded by more than 400 artifacts directly from the ship and its passengers. As visitors touch a real iceberg, walk the Grand Staircase and third class hallways, reach their hands into 28-degree water, and try to stand on the sloping decks, they learn what it was like on the RMS Titanic by experiencing it first-hand.

Each and every day, Titanic Museum Attractions provides a gateway to 1912, where First Class Maids and a variety of Officers and crew members bring the stories of the fabled ship and its fascinating passengers to life by retelling their stories in vivid, dramatic detail. The priceless artifacts throughout the museum shed additional light on the lives of those passengers and crew members when guests see the actual belongings of those on board and artifacts that sailed on Titanic’s maiden voyage.

The Titanic Museum Attractions in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. and Branson, Mo. opens daily at 9 a.m. Reservations are strongly suggested (many days sell out entirely). Or, passengers may purchase tickets online at www.TitanicAttraction.com or by phone at 800-381-7670. For more information and details about the “Back to Titanic 100th Year ‘Tour Ireland’ Sweepstakes” visit www.TitanicAttraction.com.

Titanic Book Signing Schedule – Author Appearances
Author Lee Merideth, May 28th – June 19th, 2011
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Come meet Author Lee Merideth at the Titanic Museum Attraction this May 28 – June 19, 2011. His book, “1912 Facts About Titanic,” is a collection of little- known facts & stories about Titanic, the people who experienced her, and the tragic events comprising her maiden voyage that ended so dramatically early the morning of April 15, 1912. It is not a definitive history of these events, nor is it intended to be. Instead, the book is a collection of some of the most interesting information about the doomed ship.

For more information, please contact us at 800-381-7670.