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Branson continues to freshen its multishow lineup with new features and acts while continuing to celebrate old standards such as the Baldknobbers Jamboree Show, “The Show That Started It All,” which this year celebrates its 50-year anniversary of music and comedy.
The Haygoods have added a fourth show, Cassandré: The Voice of an Angel, with a full production of pop, Broadway and classical songs backed by a 10-piece orchestra, and Branson perennials Ray Price, Roy Clark and Mel Tillis will appear this fall at area theaters.
RedHead Express has a new show at the Circle B Chuckwagon, and the Osmonds return September through December to the Welk Resort Theatre, where Lee Greenwood and the Bellamy Brothers also will perform.
At the Mansion Theatre, Johnny Mathis performs in October, and through the holiday season, Cathy Rigby stars in the swashbuckling adventure Peter Pan.
“We have the exact same set from Broadway and the actors that performed there,” said Rachel Cantrell, media relations director at the Mansion Entertainment and Media Center. “Our technical capabilities here are greater than those of the Broadway production, so it should be even better than the New York show.”
In May 2010, the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau will present Taste of Home cooking schools for the second year. Taste of Home publishes cooking magazines and cookbooks, and hosts 300 cooking shows annually. Culinary classes will span several days.
The Great American Pie Show contest, with a guest celebrity judge, adds to the
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excitement. The first 100 ticket holders can participate as People’s Choice judges for this pie extravaganza. Marketplace exhibits showcase cooking products, taste samples and prizes.
Silver Dollar City will add the All American Cowgirl Chicks equestrian drill team, with precision trick riding and daring stunts, to the National Harvest Festival.
Christmas remains one of the park’s favorite celebrations, with 350 miles of lights, a living Nativity and the five-story LED (light-emitting diode)-lit Christmas tree in the center of festive Main Street.
A Dickens Christmas Carol, an original musical adaptation of the classic, features elaborate sets, and pyrotechnic and visual effects.
The park’s 50th anniversary occurs in 2010. Additional festival elements, a new ride and 50th-anniversary promotional activities will commemorate the milestone.
“It will be a year to remember,” said Lisa Rau, director of public relations for Silver Dollar City Attractions. “We have so many multigenerational families who come, and the 50th is about people’s memories, past, present and future.”
