BRANSON, MISSOURI

Days Inn, Branson, our home for six days

Alan and I enjoyed a wonderful eleven day trip to Branson with Stagecoach Tours of Weyburn. We met the bus in Estevan at 8:30 on Sunday, October 30 and went as far as Fargo, ND that day.  The next day we drove to St. Joseph, Missouri, just north of Kansas City.  We arrived in Branson on Tuesday afternoon and were off to our first show that evening, the Oak Ridge Boys.  

Branson is located just a few miles north of the Arkansas border in Ozark country.  It is a small city of 10,000 that caters to eight million visitors a year!  Hotels, restaurants, entertainment attractions and theatres abound.  We became familiar with "y'all" as in "Where y'all from?"  Biscuits and gravy were served at most breakfast buffets, along with scrambled eggs and sausage.  Cornbread muffins and biscuits were offered with some meals. especially at Cracker Barrel.  The weather was warmer than usual for Nov. so we enjoyed that along with the sunshine.  We kept our sweaters and jackets handy as the theatres were usually chilly with air conditioning.  With so much sitting, along with more than enough eating, we both put on a few pounds.

Our hostess, Kelly, had done an excellent job of choosing the shows that we would attend - eleven in five days! On Tuesday we saw one of the most popular shows, The Haygoods. It's a family show of five brothers and their sister who have been performing as a family for twenty-four years, the longest running show in Branson.  They sing, dance and play instruments in a fast moving musical show with lots of bright lights and action.

In the evening we saw "Million Dollar Quartet", the story of Sun Records where Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins had a one time meeting.  We had seen the show in Weyburn done by Globe Theatre in Regina but were disappointed in their Elvis.  This one was much better and we didn't mind seeing it a second time.

Taken on Dec.4, 1956, the four with Elvis' friend, Marilyn

On Thursday morning we went to "Irish Tenors and Celtic Ladies".  We really enjoyed this show with the second half their Christmas version. Christmas starts on Nov. 1 in Branson with decorations up all over the city and groups doing their Christmas shows, quite often the second part of their show.

That evening we went to "The Legends in Concert" featuring Elvis, Blues Brothers, Frank Sinatra, George Strait and Adele. It wasn't one of our favourites. as we really didn't care for the music of the Blues Brothers or Adele.

The Baldknobbers were the evening show and Branson's 1st musical show brought by members of the Mabe family. It included vocals, bass, guitar and fiddle. "Droopy Drawers Jr." aka Tim Mabe gave us lots of laughs.

Friday started out very foggy and we wondered if we'd be able to "Ride the Ducks".  But it cleared up by 10:00 and we throughly enjoyed this 1 1/2 hr all in one land and water sight-seeing tour of Branson in this modified vehicle used in WWII. We rode up Briar Mtn. with its display of historic military vehicles and then
splashed into Table Rock Lake for a 25 minute ride with a view of Ozark's mountains, lakes and forests. 

In the afternoon we enjoyed some time at Branson Landing with its shopping centre, dining and entertainment areas.  Alan and I posed beside a large wreath, part of the Christmas decorations.

Friday evening saw us at Charlie Daniel's Band, much too loud for us!  The performed without a break and then were off to Austin, Texas for a show the next day.  Quite the life for an 80 year old and his band.  We would have liked to have heard more of the words to the songs without so much loud background music.

On Saturday we could sleep in as it was a free morning.  We enjoyed lunch at Mel's Hard Luck Diner, a restaurant with singing servers.  They had to audition to have a chance at being waiters and carried portable mikes as they moved around the busy room.  There was a long lineup at the door when we arrived and also when we left.

Our favourite show was Daniel O'Donnell at 2:00 that afternoon.  Most shows go two hours but his was over 2 1/2 hours.  His music was more our type with many well known hymns and Irish tunes.  We have his CD's but this was our first time to hear him live and he didn't disappoint!

That evening we were off to Shoji Tabuchi, a Japanese/American violin player who changed his sparkling jackets over a dozen times.  The bathrooms in his venue were utterly extravagant.  Google his site if you wish to see the outrageous decor, such as a large pool table in the men's room!

Our group - meet and greet with Shoji after the show

On Sunday morning we were off on a cruise and dinner on the Showboat "Branson Belle", a paddle wheel boat. We spent a few minutes on the top deck in the sunshine, then went down to deck one where we were served a three course meal.  While we ate there was a band on stage as well as a magician.  After the meal we had a few minutes to go back outside, then back in for more shows on stage - a ventriloquist, and a gymnast plus more band, which was too loud to our liking!  

On Sunday evening we saw our last show, the Magnificent 7 a variety show which also had a Christmas theme.  On our way back to the hotel we drove through Branson's Gift of Lights.  One of the displays depicted the song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas" and there was also a nativity scene.

Farewell to Days Inn

On Monday morning it was time to say Good-bye to Branson and we headed north, stopping for lunch, shopping and lots of looking at lifelike wildlife, pools and tanks of fish and turtles at Bass Pro Shop World Headquarters in Springfield, Missouri. We even went through vast gun display that traced the development of many types of fire arms through the years.

Alan looks small next to this guy!

Our coffee stop was at the Osceola Cheese Store which has 250 kinds of cheese.  There were small cubes to sample and we came home with four different kinds that we'll serve with crackers at Christmas time.  Then we were on the road again, heading for the Drury Inn at St. Joseph, MO.  They had a welcome supper ready for us so no need to look for a restaurant.

We left before 8 in the morning and headed north to Fargo, ND with stops at Cracker Barrel in Council Bluffs and Sioux Falls.  Days Inn had pizza, Caesar salad and cupcakes ready for us.  It was election night in the US but we wouldn't have known it.  I went down to the desk around ten.  All was quiet, just one fellow watching TV in the lobby.  

November 9 - we left Fargo before 8, stopped for lunch at Dakota Square Mall in Minot, went through customs and were back in Estevan by 3:30.  Gerry, Clare's hired man, had picked up our car when we left and it was in the parking lot when we came back.  Thanks Gerry!  We dropped off some library books, got groceries and headed home.  Having supper in Estevan was not an option after eating meals out for eleven days!

The weather has been mild since getting home.  I was out washing windows today and Alan did some tilling in the garden, jobs not usually done in mid November. These nice days may end this week as ND's forecast is using the word BLIZZARD for a possibility at the end of this week!  We have plans to visit Alan's sister, Joyce and Wayne this weekend in Melville so hope the weather doesn't change those plans.

When we got home I noticed my friend, Dorothy Youngberg's name on our phone so I called the next day. Her daughter answered with sad news that her mother had died unexpectedly at age 75 from a massive heart attack.  What a shock as she wasn't known to have heart trouble.  I was so thankful that Alan and I had visited Dorothy and her husband Brian last year in Canmore, AB.  Dorothy and I roomed together for two years in Shaunavon when we were both teachers on staff there.  Then we spent another year together in Saskatoon when we were at University.  After that we went separate ways but we had kept in touch every year at Christmas.  I will miss her cheery notes and sharing memories with her.  It's another reminder to enjoy each day as we never know when our last one on earth will be.  

In closing I want to thank Kelly, our hostess, for doing an excellent job of arranging this tour and taking good care of us for those 11 days.  This was our third trip with her as she was the hostess on our two bus trips to Minneapolis.  Thanks also to Cliff, our bus driver.  This was his first trip to Branson so a learning experience for him too.  We had a few unplanned "detours" but with Kelly's help we got back on track and had a safe, relaxing trip.  It's a trip that we wouldn't mind taking again someday.