Branson Holiday Promenade of the Stars Features Andy Williams

The 3rd Annual Branson Holiday Promenade of Stars Parade will usher in the Christmas season on world famous Hwy 76 at 10:30am on November 7 in Branson. Mr. Christmas, otherwise known as Andy Williams, is set to be the grand marshal of the parade.

The 1.4 mile-long parade route begins at White Water and ends at the Grand Village shoppes, with a few stops along the way to allow stars to perform on stage in front of the Titanic Museum. Branson celebrities, marching bands and floats will all be included in the Branson Holiday Promenade of Stars Parade.

In addition to Andy Williams, other celebrity performances include Cathy Rigby as Peter Pan, the Lennon Sisters, the Osmonds, Tony Orlando, Broadway’s Spirit of Christmas dancers, the cast of "A Dickens’ Christmas Carol” from Silver Dollar City and a special appearance by Santa and Mrs. Claus.

The parade is being recorded for a television special that will broadcast Thanksgiving Day and rebroadcast Christmas Day. The special will air on KSFX Ozarks Fox and The Vacation Channel in the Springfield/Branson area. National Broadcasts will air on RFD TV and Retro Television Network (RTN). Hosts for the television special are Debby Boone and Jimmy Osmond.

Celebrate the Holidays in Branson, Missouri

Celebrate an Ozark Mountain Christmas this holiday season in Branson, Missouri. The cool weather brings festive productions to the area Branson Shows as they invite guests to celebrate the reason for the season with friends and family. The area becomes enchanted with twinkling light displays, holiday decorations and a merry spirit that is perfect for a holiday getaway.

One of the best reasons to travel to Branson during the holiday season is the entertaining holiday shows available during November and December. Branson has a variety of programs to choose from, each with a unique story to tell. Miracle of Christmas is an all-new show in Branson, and seeks to tell the captivating story of Mary, Joseph and the birth of Jesus. It is presented by Sight and Sound Theatres, who are known for their lavish production qualities from Noah – The Musical. Several star entertainers return to Branson during the Christmas season, including Andy Williams in the Andy Williams Christmas Show, Daniel O’Donnell and Tony Orlando & the Lennon Sisters.

Branson visitors can enjoy a country Christmas at Christmas on the Trail, where you’ll sing along as they share a cowboy Christmas, complete with Christmas carols, and a special time of reflection on the true meaning of the Christmas Season. Dixie Stampede Christmas Dinner and Show transforms into a holiday celebration including a live nativity, with three kings atop camels, holiday music, Santa and a four-course yuletide feast. This year they also debut “The Magic of Toys,” an all-new musical celebration. Baldknobbers Jamboree Christmas presents a combination show during the holiday season, during which the first half is devoted to the best of this year’s country show and the second half features a Baldknobber Family Christmas.

Broadway’s Spirit of Christmas is a top rated holiday production in Branson, and for good reason. This enchanting show highlights the excitement and joy of the season as its talented cast sings, dances and interacts with the audience. Hamner Barber’s Wings of Christmas Show is also a combination show, featuring the best of their comedy and magic in the first half and moving holiday tribute in the second half of the show. For those that have an ear for the piano, you won’t want to miss Dino’s Christmas Extravaganza, an over-the-top production highlighting Christmastime all over the world. The show is truly magical and the elaborate sets, costumes and holiday numbers create a memorable evening for all.

Ride the Ducks also join in on the festive fun with their Ride the Ducks Holiday Light Tours. This 60 minute adventure, on an enclosed duck, takes guests on a tour of Branson’s holiday lights. It’s a great way for everyone to see the beauty of Branson. The Shepherd of the Hills Trail of Lights is a holiday tradition as it offers 160 acres of Christmas lights and animated displays. Children of all ages will be amazed by the dazzling displays of holiday cheer.

A holiday getaway to Branson wouldn’t be complete without a day spent at Silver Dollar City during their Old Time Christmas celebration. The entire park is aglow with light displays and winter wonderland activities, as well as fabulous productions like “A Dickens Christmas Carol” and “The Living Nativity.” It’s the perfect way to put everybody in the family in a merry mood.

Branson Christmas Show Schedule for 2008 a Singing Success

Christmas Season in Branson combines holiday traditions with new festive events to create a holiday atmosphere full of cheer. The entire town of Branson becomes transformed into a winter wonderland during the Christmas season, twinkling with the shine of millions of lights heralding in the season that means so much to so many. One of the great things about Christmas in Branson are the fantastic holiday shows. Branson Christmas Shows offer a variety of Christmas music - from traditional carols to cowboy Christmas songs – so your ticket to holiday fun is just a click away with ReserveBranson.com.

Mr. Christmas, who is no other than Andy Williams, helps Branson bring Christmas home with his wonderful Andy Williams Christmas show, which features Christmas standards, Andy’s legendary hits and a wholesome message for the whole family. Another legendary entertainer, Bobby Vinton, returns to Branson for the 2008 Christmas season. Performing at the Mansion America Theater, Vinton’s show will feature the Glenn Miller Orchestra and all of Vinton’s classic hits, like “Blue Velvet.” Broadway’s Spirit of Christmas is an energetic production focused on the fun of the holiday. The show takes guests on a magical sleigh ride adventure that showcases holiday hits, extravagant costumes and sets, and the charismatic Osmond Brothers (Jimmy, Jay & Wayne).

Two of Branson’s top guest performers during the Christmas season include Daniel O’Donnell and Dino. Daniel O’ Donnell, an acclaimed Irish musician who has appeared on special PBS productions, will appear in Branson for two nights only, November 21st & 24th. The Dino Christmas show is an incredible production featuring Dino Kartsonakis and his fantastic piano-playing skills. His wife, Cheryl, also joins him for the show, as do professional dancers, a dazzling light show and a dash of Hollywood glamour to put this production over the top.

Shoji Tabuchi, Branson’s Ultimate Showman, presents an incredible Christmas production at this aptly named Shoji Tabuchi Theater, complete with holiday music, North Pole sets, and snow! I viewed a small snippet of the Christmas show during a regular season Shoji Tabuchi show and it certainly left me wanting more. Tony Orlando & The Lennon Sisters will also be making a special Branson appearance, performing at the Welk Resort throughout the holiday season. Their Christmas Celebration will include the Lennon Sisters’ hits, Orlando’s famous classics and Christmas carols that the whole family can enjoy. The Hamner Barber Wings of Christmas production combines holiday laughter, magical illusions and old-fashioned Christmas memories for a show that makes every audience member feel like a kid again.

The Duttons Christmas show is all-new this 2008 Christmas season, and with the help of Hollywood special effects artist Rick Josephson, it promises to be the biggest and best Christmas production they’ve offered to Branson visitors yet. The Dixie Stampede Christmas Show is promising a stellar production that truly is fun for those of all ages. A friendly rivalry between the North & South poles gives visitors something to cheer for, while the holiday music and beautiful costumes transports guests to a Christmas scene they won’t soon forget. Plus, the show also serves up a delicious feast of holiday trimmings, with biscuits and soup that are out of this world. Christmas on the Trail is a traditional holiday show, located at the Shepherd of the Hills complex, that serves up festive holiday fun with carol sing-a-longs, a chuckwagon dinner, Trail of Lights admission, and a trip up Branson’s biggest Christmas tree, the 230 ft. Inspiration Tower, where you can have a birds-eye view of all of Branson’s lights. The Sons of the Pioneers are also offering a special Holiday Matinee during the months of November & December at the Shepherd of the Hills complex.

For many Branson visitors, a holiday excursion isn’t complete without a holiday tour of lights. The Trail of Lights event at Shepherd of the Hills winds its way through 160 acres of glowing lights, 3-D animation and holiday music creating a spectacular display of holiday cheer. A trip up Inspiration Tower is also included with the price of admission. The Ride the Ducks are also presenting a Holiday Light Tour. From November 3 – December 14 the Ride the Ducks Holiday Light Tour will take guests on a 60 minute tour of Branson’s Best light displays. Plus, the Ducks are closed-in and heated for the holiday season, so you can enjoy the lights while staying warm and toasty!

Join Branson, Missouri for an unforgettable Christmas season. With wonderful Branson Christmas Shows and beautiful holiday light displays, the spirit of the season has found a home in this Midwest Mecca.

Celebrate the Holiday Season with an Ozark Mountain Christmas

Do you find yourself asking, "Whatever happened to a traditional family Christmas?" Come to Branson, Missouri, and celebrate the true meaning of the Christmas season. Nationally recognized by newspapers and travel associations as one of the top Christmas destinations in the nation, America's Live Entertainment Capital is all aglow in the spirit of the season. It all begins on November 1! With lots of star-filled Christmas shows, the famous 76 Strip and a glittering array of animated lighting displays including the 1-mile Branson Area Festival of Lights drive-through, a visit to Branson will create beautiful memories and new Christmas traditions for your family.

Branson's star performers, special effects and elaborate holiday production numbers are ready to dazzle visitors and their families in November and December. From the famous voice of "Mr. Christmas" Andy Williams to the multimedia extravaganza of The Christmas Sounds of Mannheim Steamroller at The Grand Palace, as well as Mel Tillis and Connie Smith at the Welk Resort, there's a multitude of Branson Christmas shows that deck the halls with boughs of holly and showcase the holiday's finest talent. Music fills the air at Branson's family shows like the Presleys, The Baldknobbers, and the Hughes Brothers and peals of laughter roll through the aisles at Jim Stafford, Hamner-Barber and Yakov Smirnoff's shows. From the Lennon Sisters with the Gatlin Brothers to Barbara Fairchild, the Twelve Irish Tenors and Broadway's Spirit of Christmas with The Osmonds, Branson wraps up its musical packages with one-of-a-kind holiday family fun. And, for the kids in all of us, there's a "magical" Christmas celebration as well, at world-famous Kirby VanBurch's Christmas Spectacular.

Silver Dollar City, an internationally awarded theme park, presents an all-new, $1 million light and sound extravaganza for "An Old Time Christmas" the park's biggest light show ever. Called "Christmas on Main Street," the show features a new 5-Story Special Effects Christmas Tree that blazes to the musical movements of Christmas songs, joined by one million lights on trees, shop fronts and hanging canopies all flashing, as surround-sound fills the Square. The entire park glows with millions of flickering lights and a Holiday Light Parade with colorful, musical floats winds through the streets.The acclaimed Dickens' "Christmas Carol" returns with the special effects said to be one of the best productions in the history of the park. Plus, holiday food, strolling Christmas carolers and the roller coasters are open after dark for the thrill of the lights from above.

The Showboat Branson Belle is bedecked in Christmas finery and charts a course for holiday food and fun on Table Rock Lake though December. Also, the World's Largest Titanic Museum Attraction will be decorated with thousands of merry lights and holiday trim that recall those elegant Christmases past. Your family can discover Branson's newest "Winter Wonder Landing" at the Branson Landing waterfront, featuring a promenade of trendy specialty shopping and dining establishments, the brilliant water and fire spectacular that dances to the sounds of the season in the Town Square and Santa Claus, who has even been known to vacation in Branson himself!

For all of your Christmas shopping, there are three name-brand outlet malls, boutique shops at the Grand Village and Ozarks craftsmen at Branson Mills and Engler Block with their stores all decked out in lights with elaborate holiday decorations that beckon Yuletide visitors.

A host of Branson lodging options are available from a cozy cabin at one of the lakeside resorts to luxurious hotel rooms and condos throughout the area.

While in the Branson/Lakes Area you can also enjoy a Christmas light display at the Enchanted Forest on Indian Point Rd. and the Christmas on the Trail show and Trail of Lights at Shepherd of the Hills Historic Homestead. On the first Sunday in December, thousands of people gather in downtown Branson to watch a Christmas parade dedicated to "the true meaning of the season." This year marks the 59th Adoration Parade in Branson, an evening event with dozens of high school bands and lighted floats. The theme has always been "Keeping Christ in Christmas."

"When I started my solo career, I believe God told me to come to Branson and sing with my kids. I'm a Southern California guy, but Christmas in the Ozarks is truly magical," says Righteous Brother Bill Medley, member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, who performs at Dick Clark's American Bandstand Theater.

Branson's Veterans Homecoming, Nov. 5-11, pays tribute to our nation's heroes from all wars and conflicts and all branches of service. For details about this weeklong series of events, tribute shows, reunions and more, click the above link.

Outdoor activities in the Ozarks like fishing, hiking, camping and other outdoor pursuits are year-round opportunities for sporting enthusiasts in the Ozarks. The cool, crisp weather in late autumn and early winter is an appealing time for outdoor activities. Those three pristine lakes never freeze, so they are ideal for fishing for bass, trout, crappie and other species, and there is boating and many other types of water activities even in mid-winter. The mild winters also allow visitors to enjoy the area's dozen championship Golf courses.

Information courtesy of Branson Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce