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.

Dancing with the Stars of Branson will be this Wednesday, March 7th at the Whitehouse Theatre. Show time is 7pm , vip party with the Stars & Pros will be at 5:30 pm. for tickets call the Whitehouse Theatre Box Office at 417-335-2396

This fundraiser will also benefit the Branson familie who los their homes last Wednesday.

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

Today’s paper aside, #Branson Gong Show Benefit is @ 6:49 TONIGHT @ Hamner Barber Theatre. Click here for more information

FFA Workshop Slated for Area High School Students
By: Jacob McCauley

College of the Ozarks Agriculture Department will host a FFA workshop for area high school students on March 3, 2012, in the Youngman Agriculture Center from 8:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
The event will include workshops on livestock, dairy products, entomology, meats, dairy cattle, nursery and landscaping, agronomy, forestry, poultry, horses, floriculture and soils. In 2011, the event brought more than 2,500 students from over 90 different schools in the southwest Missouri and northwest Arkansas regions, making it one of Missouri’s larger agricultural events.

Registration is for area high school FFA students and sponsors. Registration forms are located on the C of O website and must be completed by February 24, 2012. An additional $15 late fee will be charged for late registration. Workshop participants can pick up their workshop forms beginning at 7:45 a.m. in the Youngman Agriculture Center; contests begin at 8:15 a.m. and workshops at 8:30 a.m.

For more information, visit www.cofo.edu, or call Donn Russell, event coordinator, at 417-690-3348.

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.

The College of the Ozarks Music Department will host a student music recital on February 22, at 4 p.m., in the Newman Recital Hall. The recital will include performances from student soloists and ensembles, instrumental and vocal.

“These recitals are a great way for students to gain experience in a professional setting,” says C of O music department student worker Andy Petry. “As the semester progresses audiences can expect the students involved in the concerts to grow and become better performers.”

Students will be allowed priority seating for the event, but any seats left open will be available to the public free of charge. For more information, please call the Music Department at (417) 690-2244.

Mount Pleasant Winery President’s Day Sale – February 17 – 24

Please come celebrate President’s Week with us and receive a 10% discount on any purchase from February 17th – 24th.

3125 Green Mtn. Drive
Branson, Missouri
417-336-9463

We are open Monday thru Saturday from 9:30 am until 5:00 pm, and Sunday from 10:00 am until 5:00 pm.

College of the Ozarks to Sponsor Blood Drive
By: Chelsea Kliethermes

On Thursday, February 16, 2012, the Bonner Community Service Program at College of the Ozarks will sponsor a blood drive for the Community Blood Center of the Ozarks. The blood drive is from noon to 6 p.m., in the Keeter Gymnasium.

Each donor will receive a free t-shirt for his/her contribution. Every donation has the potential to make a difference in someone’s life.

For more information, please contact the C of O Bonner Community Service Program at 417-690-3450 or e-mail Director of Bonner Program Nancy Finn at [email protected]

Art Demonstration by Artist Don Barnes at Mount Pleasant Winery – February 4, 2012

We are having an art demonstration here at Mount Pleasant Winery on Feb 4th, by renowned artist Don Barnes, from Denver Colorado. The time is 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm and we will be selling wine by the glass for this event.

About Don Barnes

Don Barnes was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he lived until age twelve. He has lived in Kansas City, Los Angeles, Dallas and Denver. The last is where he met his wife and has made his home since 1976.
Although he had always been artistic, Don didn’t begin painting until 1993. His first show was a solo in 2005, which sold seven of fifteen paintings. Since that time his work has shown in galleries throughout the West. He has been juried into several national shows and has been invited three times to participate in the prestigious Nomadas del Arte’.
His friendship with gallery owner Ernest Fuller allowed Don to study the works of Rob Moore, Hollis Williford, Julie Chapman, Debora Paris and other well known artists. Likewise, with the cooperation of David Cook Fine Art, he spent much time examining the works of the Broadmoor Academy artists – John F. Carlson, Sven Birger Sandzen, Peppino Mangravite, the Magafan Sistes, and others. He feels that the ability to draw from this broad knowledge offers unique possibilities for his art.

Artists Statement
For me, it’s all about technique and experimentation. I love to try new ways of expressing what I see. Each painting comes with a new set of challenges. The excitement is in breaking them down and turning out something that communicates with someone else.

Resume’
2010 – Nomadas del Arte’- Southwest Gallery, Dallas (Invitation)
Visions of the Flint Hills, Buttonwood Gallery, Kansas City (Jury)
Russian Night in Taos, Taos Art Museum, Taos (Jury)
2009 – Nomadas del Arte’ – Southwest Gallery, Dallas (Invitation)
Plein Air Expanded – Republic Plaza, Denver (Jury)
2008 – Nomadas del Arte’- Sage Creek Gallery, Taos (Invitation)
Winter Miniatures- Rob Foster Gallery, Denver (Jury)
Plein Air Artists Colorado Annual Exhibition – Abend Gallery, Denver (Jury)
Denver Plein Air Arts Festival – Golden Triangle Museum District, Denver (Jury)
2007 – Solo show – Compass Bank, Denver (Invitation)
Denver Plein Air Arts Festival – Golden Triangle Museum District, Denver (Jury)
Plein Air Artists Colorado Annual Exhibition – Abend Gallery, Denver (Jury)
2006 – Solo Show – Lone Tree Library, Lone Tree (Invitation)
Plein Air New Mexico Special Exhibition at Northwest New Mexico Visitor Center – Grants
Plein Air New Mexico Annual Show – The Mission Gallery, Grants
2005 – Solo Show – Saxby’s, Denver