Coca-Cola presents …
FREE CONCERT BY LYAL STRICKLAND at Factory Merchants Branson

Saturday June, 13th
Noon – 2pm

Factory Merchants Branson
1000 Pat Nash Drive
Branson, MO 65616
(417) 335-6686

Upper Courtyard

Southern Missouri native Lyal Strickland magically melds together years of passion, perseverance, talent and tenacity with melodies, lyrics and simply makes…music.

Blending the soul of a front porch picking with the excitement of a Saturday night, Lyal’s original songs express life with all of its up and downs. Passionate vocals, captivating guitar, on occasional harmonica, and Lyal’s down to earth style keep audiences begging for more. Lyal has become a favorite of music lovers in the Ozarks.

Coca-Cola invites you to enjoy Lyal Strickland’s music live at Factory Merchants Branson on Sat, June 13th at noon until 2pm.

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A celebration marking the 50th anniversary of Table Rock Dam and its hydroelectric power facility will be held on Sunday, June 14, with a ceremony at 2:15 p.m. on the overlook across from the Dewey Short Visitors Center on Mo. 165.

The Springfield National Guard Band will kick-off the event. Dignitaries and people who were involved with the dam’s construction will be on hand. It was at 2:45 p.m. on June 14, 1959, when the switch was thrown on the dam’s power facility, said Rodney Raley of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Following the ceremony, activities will move across the highway to the Dewey Short Visitors Center where a film on the development of Table Rock Dam will be shown in the auditorium. There also will be entertainment on the lakeside patio by the Missouri Boatride Bluegrass Band from Branson West.

The dam has created boating, swimming and fishing opportunities for area residents and the millions of visitors who come to Branson each year, said Branson Mayor Raeanne Presley.

“It enhances our quality of life,” Presley said.

The dam was built as a flood control measure. In 1941, Congress approved a series of dams on the White River to prevent devastating damage to thousands of acres of cotton, corn and other crops downstream.

That helped locally, too. Flood control “has allowed additional investments in areas that would never have seen any growth if it didn’t exist,” Presley said.

Raley invites anyone who was involved with the project to attend. Call Raley at 417-334-4101, ex. 3019.

Also, on Saturday and Sunday, June 13 and 14, free 30-minutes tours of the Table Rock Dam Powerhouse will be offered from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Visitors must get tickets at the Dewey Short Visitors Center and will be required to sign a statement that they are a United States citizen. And Moonshine Beach is now open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. The day use fee is $4 per vehicle. A season pass is available for $30.

Also, Moonshine Beach is now open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. The day use fee is $4 per vehicle. A season pass is available for $30.

Who Was Dewey Short?

Dewey Short grew up in Galena, and served 24 years in the U.S. House of Representatives. Galena was a float-fishing center then, and as a young man, Short worked arranging float trips down the James River.

He graduated as valedictorian of Galena High School in 1915, and continued his education. Short was elected to Congress in 1928. In 1929, Empire District Electric Co. announced plans to build a hydroelectric project known as Table Rock. The 1930’s depression derailed the plans. Then World War II delayed funding. But Short kept pushing the project. In 1954, Pres. Dwight Eisenhower signed the bill authorizing the funding, and praised Short for his efforts.

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In 1959 four brothers calling themselves The Baldknobbers began entertaining visitors to Branson, Missouri. They called their show the Baldknobbers Jamboree. Fifty years and four generations later, The Baldknobbers are still entertaining audiences with country music and their own distinctive brand of hillbilly humor.

Although the comedy evolves and routines change, there is always a common thread of what makes it work. Hillbilly humor encompasses universal subjects that everyone knows and experiences: happiness, sadness, love, marriage, car trouble…every aspect of daily life.

It was their hillbilly humor that first gave the Baldknobbers popular recognition outside of Branson. Baldknobbers co-founder Lyle Mabe’s comic character “George Aggernite” did television commercials for Empire Gas, which aired at 6:12 PM, during the weather portion of the evening newscast. People from Springfield to Joplin and all over the Ozarks tuned in just to watch the hilarious commercials. Aggernite’s rubbery face, his trouble with pronunciations, and other antics intrigued the audience. The commercials also featured takeoffs of television shows and other commercials, keeping it current and keeping the audience tuned in. Viewers became fans of The Baldknobbers even before they saw the show.

In 2009 Baldknobbers comedians are still adding to the merriment and high spirits that audiences enjoy at the show. Straight-man Bob Leftridge has fresh reactions every night to Stub Meadows’s unbelievable stories and antics. And when “Droopy Drawers, Jr.” and “Hargus Marcel” get in on the act, anything can happen, and often does. The band and vocalists don’t escape the zinging comedy arrows either and seem equally surprised and entertained by the zany hi-jinx.

Tim Mabe, Droopy Drawers, Jr., is the son of Jim and Katie Mabe. The late Jim Mabe was one of the four founders and the original Droopy Drawers. Tim Mabe and other second- and third-generation Mabes are part of the 19-member cast of The Baldknobbers Jamboree. The show is an excellent mix of old and new country music, laced with a sidesplitting, generous dose of hillbilly humor.

Every brand of humor has various common themes. Understanding what makes people laugh, and why a particular subject or story is funny, is a talent, and one that has served this show well. The Baldknobbers brand of comedy touches something in everyone and has the unique ability to let people laugh at just about anything.

Some of America’s favorite humor is physical and the Baldknobbers hillbilly humor scores big in this category. The wild outfits the comics wear contrast to the band’s handsome jackets and the female vocalists’ beaded and sequined dresses. Costume changes were certainly not part of the original show. Outlandish hats and shoes, oversized, too-short britches, crazy plaids mixed with bright patterns and too-long, too-wide ties are a perfect backdrop for Stub’s rubbery-faced expressions and Hargus’s sorrowful look as he relates his latest woes. The expressions on Droopy’s face match his comic getup.

Longtime Baldknobbers fans and new fans alike appreciate the Baldknobbers’ family traditions. Great music, excellent comedy, and honoring God and country make their show popular from generation to generation. Come celebrate 50 years of fun with The Baldknobbers Jamboree!

Join the Mabe family and the entire cast of the Baldknobbers for the year-long 50th Anniversary celebration in 2009. The Baldknobbers Jamboree Show-“The Show That Started It All”-is located on the famed 76 Country Music Boulevard in Branson, Missouri, with performances Monday through Saturday at 8 PM. For tickets call 800-998-8908 or www.Baldknobbers.com

July 4th Summer Sale

July 2nd – 6th, 2009

Join us for great savings during this summer sidewalk sale at Factory Merchants Branson.  Just look for the “red roofs”.

The Back-To-School & Fall Preview Sale

July 30th – August 3rd, 2009

Find the best deals for all  your back-to-school needs during this sidewalk sale at Factory Merchants Branson.  Just look for the “red roofs”.

Missouri State Sales Tax Free Weekend

August 7th – August 9th, 2009

Pay no Missouri state sales tax on all clothing, shoes and other qualified items at Factory Merchants Branson.  Just look for the “red roofs”.

Labor Day Sidewalk Sale

September 4th – 7th, 2009

Enjoy additional savings during the annual Labor Day Sidewalk Sale at Factory Merchants Branson.  Just look for the “red roofs”.

Teacher Appreciation Days

September 19th – 20th, 2009

Factory Merchants Branson invites all teachers, active and retired, to visit the Center Management Office for additional savings during the Teacher Appreciation Days.  Just look for the “red roofs”.

Factory Merchants Branson is located at 1000 Pat Nash Drive, Branson Missouri

A local organization is doing their part to help World War II veterans visit a Washington D.C. memorial.

On June 6, members of the Military Order of Purple Heart, Chapter 784 in Forsyth will be selling ice cream outside the Walmart Supercenter in Branson.  Profits from the sale of ice cream will be donated to Honor Flight, a national non-profit organization.

“One of our members , his dad actually got to go on one of these flights,” said Mike Womack, commander of the local chapter.  “This is probably the last opportunity they are going to get to see the memorial.”

Honor Flight has five hubs in Missouri which provide World War II veterans the opportunity to visit  the World War II Memorial in Washington D.C.  The organization offers the trips free of charge.

Honor Flight provides free airfare and lodging for veterans, as well as medical assistance during the visit, if necessary.  Womack said with the five hubs in Missouri, the local chapter can guarantee their money stays closer to home.

The first Honor Flight, held in 2005, took 137 World War II veterans to visit their memorial.  Womack reported that in 2008, Honor Flight provided more than 11,000 veterans an opportunity to visit the memorial.

Members of the Military Order of Purple Heart are veterans from all branches of the service, and all wars, that sustained injuries due to combat with an armed opponent.

By Mindy  Honey

Society Editor

Article Source http://www.bransondailynews.com

Four generations of visitors to Branson, Missouri, have enjoyed great country music and hillbilly humor at The Baldknobbers Jamboree. This legendary original Branson show is celebrating its 50th Anniversary in the Ozarks town that has become known as the Live Music Capital of the World.

There are families who have been traveling to Branson to see the Baldknobbers for generations. Multiple generations are represented on stage as well as in the audience. Second-generation entertainers Tim and Brent Mabe recalled a recent guest who told them, “My grandmother used to bring me to see your show. Now I bring my family.”

Brent goes on to say, “People tell us all the time they remember Tim and me and all the cousins playing baseball in the parking lot with a crushed-up soda cup, while our dads were on stage in the theatre.

Tim Mabe adds, “And I remember we could earn a dollar for putting bumper stickers on cars.”

In a time when families often live many miles or several states apart, traditions take on even more importance. The Baldknobbers Jamboree is an experience families can share, whether traveling together to Branson or reuniting there with family.

One of the many reasons the Baldknobbers Jamboree has remained so successful and will continue to entertain future generations is the universal appeal of country music and hillbilly humor. Stories that everyone can relate to, whether told in song or with comedy, are timeless. Themes of love and happiness, troubles and sadness, and everyday life situations can be poignant in a song or funny in a comic’s tale.

The sad song brings a tear to a grandmother’s eye, while a comedian in outlandish, oversized overalls has a grandson laughing out loud. The Baldknobbers show is a fast-paced, energetic production starring 19 talented musicians, singers and comedians, some of the best and funniest on stage anywhere. Just one more reason for the Baldknobbers’ continued popularity!

It was 1959 when four Mabe brothers began entertaining visitors to Branson. They put on a music and comedy show in the evenings for an audience made up mostly of fishermen and their families. They had fifty folding chairs and the Mabe wives sold tickets. If they sold twelve tickets, there would be a show.

In 1959 the theater was on the Taneycomo lakefront; today the theater seats 1500 people and is a state-of-the-art facility on Highway 76, “The Strip.” Visitors to Branson still enjoy the Baldknobbers and fishing, as well as other shows and attractions, world-class hotels and resorts, more lake activities, 12 championship golf courses, shopping and much more.

Things have changed in 50 years, but in 2009, as the Baldknobbers Jamboree celebrates its 50th Anniversary, many things remain the same. The show continues to deliver excellent family entertainment to enthusiastic audiences. Come celebrate with the Baldknobbers Jamboree, the “show that started it all!”

Join the Mabe family and the entire cast of the Baldknobbers for the year-long 50th Anniversary celebration in 2009. The Baldknobbers Jamboree Show-“The Show That Started It All”-is located on the famed 76 Country Music Boulevard in Branson, Missouri, with performances Monday through Saturday at 8 PM. For tickets call 800-998-8908 or www.Baldknobbers.com

Thousands of people hit downtown Branson for the 36th annual Plumb Nellie Days.

The weather was perfect for the final day of the arts and crafts festival

Crafters from around the Midwest join in this Ozarks heritage event that celebrates the tradition of hand-crafted products.

“We have pottery, basket weaving, old-time ice cream and free entertainment,” Paula Gillispie with the Downtown Branson Main Street Association said. “So everyone comes out and enjoys the day.”

Over the three day event, organizers say some 8,000 people enjoyed the craft show.

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Want to become an audience member for the live taping of NBC’s newest reality series? Now you can, right here in Branson!

NBC is inviting you to the Welk Resort Theatre in Branson, Missouri, to participate in a primetime television event of a lifetime on Saturday, May 23rd. Doors open at 2:30 p.m. and the show tapes at 3:30 p.m. sharp.

Come join Reno Collier, along with a slew of famous celebrity faces, in a jam-packed showcase of awe-inspiring talent. Admission is free and all ages are welcome to attend.

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Former First Lady Laura Bush recently congratulated Shawn Hawkins, 19, of Branson, and Nimo Sahil, 16, of Kansas City, on being named the top two youth volunteers in Missouri for 2009 by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. Shawn and Nimo were honored at a ceremony May 3 at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., where they each received a $1,000 award.

Bush addressed more than 100 top youth volunteers from across the country at the ceremony, telling them how important their volunteer work is and commending them on their commitment to making a difference in the world.

“The young people receiving these awards genuinely care about making a difference in the lives of others and have accomplished so much — in their own communities and around the world,” Bush said. “I thank and congratulate them for their outstanding volunteer work. Students with this kind of commitment and leadership ability are essential to the future of our nation.”

The Prudential Spirit of Community awards constitute the nation’s largest youth recognition program based exclusively on volunteer service. The program, created in 1995 by Prudential Financial and the National Association of Secondary School Principals, has honored nearly 90,000 young Americans over the past 14 years at the local, state and national level for outstanding acts of volunteerism.

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