Branson Blooms with Entertainment this Spring

From March through May, Ozark Mountain Spring’s full calendar will feature the thrill of NAIA college basketball and one of the nation’s largest air shows; collector car auctions and culinary demonstrations; FLW bass tournaments, as well as the international folk music and cuisines of World-Fest at Silver Dollar City and historic downtown’s Plumb Nellie Days, to name just a few.

New in 2009, The Great American Pie Show, featuring NBC’s Al Roker from the “TODAY” show as a celebrity judge, will be held April 24-25 at the Branson Convention Center. Culinary events are popular nationwide and Taste of Home magazine’s cooking demonstrations will be a part of the festivities that weekend. For more information, visit tasteofhome.com/cooking-schools.

Special events are planned each week during Ozark Mountain Spring, including Legends in Concert and Elvis Presley Enterprises 3rd annual “Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest,” the Branson Tri-Lakes Building and Home Show, Kewpiesta at Rose O’Neill’s beloved Bonniebrook and Silver Dollar City’s Bluegrass & BBQ Festival.

Branson Airport, the first privately operated commercial service airport in the United States, will host one of the nation’s largest air shows during its grand opening celebration May 8-10.

• The Baldknobbers Jamboree will celebrate its 50-year anniversary of music and comedy in 2009.

• The Welk Resort Theatre has added Lee Greenwood and the Bellamy Brothers to its fall line-up.

• Andy Williams Moon River Theatre will welcome Righteous Brother Bill Medley, Paul Revere & the Raiders and The Original Comets.

• The Haygoods, Tony Roi, plus Red, Hot & Blue, have moved to the New Americana Theatre. The Haygoods have added a fourth show in 2009 — “Cassandré, The Voice of An Angel,” with a full production show of pop, Broadway and classical songs backed by a 10-piece orchestra.

• RedHead Express has a new show at the Circle B Chuckwagon. The band has just come off a winter tour of the South and the Appalachian Mountains, bringing with them a new producer, new CD and sound.

• #1 Hits of the 60’s Show has moved to the Caravelle Theatre.

• Mary Duff will co-star with Daniel O’Donnell and then perform in her own show for limited dates in May.

Information courtesy of Branson Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce

Branson Haygoods Open New Theater March 3

The Haygoods plan to open the family’s own theater March 3 in Branson.

The New Americana Theater on 76 Country Boulevard will feature state-of-the-art sound and effects, a spacious lobby and gourmet deli. The theater will also house four shows: The Haygoods; Tony Roi — The Elvis Experience; Red, Hot & Blue; and a new production, Cassandre’ The Voice of an Angel.

The Americana Theatre was purchased by the Haygoods in May 2008. With that purchase, they became the youngest family to own a theatre on the Branson strip. It has undergone half-a-million dollars in renovations and has an entirely new look. A new addition to the theater is a gourmet deli shop.

“This project has been an enormous endeavor for our family,” Timothy Haygood said. “We knew it would be a lot of work but it is something that we all wanted and we were willing to work hard for.”

The Haygoods arrived in Branson in 1993 with nothing but their instruments, and started performing at Silver Dollar City.

“Silver Dollar City was great for us,” Haygood said. “It helped us grow as musicians and gave us the courage to take our show out into Branson.”

The Haygoods are the headlining show in The New Americana Theatre. This award-winning family has been performing in Branson for 18 years. The musical entertainment group, consisting of seven brothers and one sister, has performed more than 10,000 shows for more than 4 million people during their Branson career.

Information courtesy of Branson Daily News