Day 6 Our drive home gave us time to reminisce about the tour. We remembered the three-pound cinnamon roll that was won by the Deck’s at the Dutton show for being married the longest. Paul and Marie shared the roll with all the rest of us on the tour! We remembered John, the professional bull rider from Oklahoma who told us stories of Branson and different stars and kept us entertained for many miles. One of the men complained that he had had a very hard time getting to sleep the last night of the tour because it took him so long to decide which of the many pillows to use. We remembered the comment about Doug Gabriel’s flying fingers as he played his guitar: “And at no time did his fingers leave his hands.” And then there was the phone conversation reporting on one of the days in Branson: “We ate, we saw a show, we ate, we saw another show, we ate again, and we saw a third show.” Six days, eight shows, thousands of lights, talented performers and many new friends. All on our Branson Christmas tour.
Day 5 Our morning drive took us farther and farther from the Ozark Mountains. We drove into flatter country and realized that we missed seeing the green pastures and fall-colored leaves. We stopped for cheese and snacks at our morning break and then at a country meat market for great sandwiches at noon. Our afternoon stop was at the Treasures of the Steamboat Arabia Museum in Kansas City. People were mildly interested before the visit, but inside the museum we met one of the men who had actually excavated the boat. We heard the whole story of their personally financed adventure and saw the amazing amount of goods that have been cleaned and put on display. As we drove away from Kansas City, however, everyone was so excited about the stop that questions and conversation just flowed. Before checking into our hotel in St. Joseph, we stopped for a chocolate fix at Russell Stover. Snacks and beverages in the lobby tonight gave us a real opportunity to visit and relax.
Day 4 This morning we drove into old downtown Branson, dropping downhill to the Lake Taneycomo waterfront. The town has slowly changed over the years into a tourist destination, with the new Branson Landing development along the lake.
Our first show of the day was Yakov Smirnoff, who gave us lots of comedy, a celebration of Russian New Year complete with noisemakers, then Russian Christmas and Russian dancers. One of our group was called on stage to be part of the show. Yakov’s stories of coming to the United States and trying to learn the language were funny, but had us looking at English in a new way.
After lunch, we saw the Andy Williams show, and it was his birthday. Many of us had seen his television Christmas shows over the years, but to see him in person from our seats close to the stage was a real thrill. Andy had some very exciting and entertaining acts between segments of Christmas songs. His voice is still excellent, and he ended the show with “Moon River.”
We took a short rest break at the hotel, went to the Cracker Barrel for dinner tonight, and then drove through the Branson Festival of Lights. This colorful display gets better each year.
Our last show of the evening was the Dutton’s. This family is so talented, with comedy, singing, dancing and the ability to play several different instruments. A number of little Dutton's were also in the show, which gave everyone some chuckles and a glimpse of the pool of talent for the future.
Day 3-
With a gray, chilly day, it felt good to be inside today, and three shows certainly kept us busy! Our morning show was Doug Gabriel and the family including his wife, two sons and even the family dog. Doug Gabriel has a smooth voice and is a very talented guitarist. His wife is a beautiful singer, the older son plays drums in the band, the younger son gets out of high school to do some comedy on the show, and if their young daughter had not been in school this morning, she too would also have been on stage. People remarked about the wealth of talent on stage, including the back-up band members. One of our couples celebrated their 20Th anniversary today, but we also discovered during the show that one of our couples has been married 68 years! Our lunch was at the Branson Mill complex which gave us two choices for eating and many choices for shopping. From there we went to the Shoji Tabuchi show. With almost a full theater, there was a lot of energy which made for a great show. The entire show has a Christmas theme, although Shoji's violin/fiddle also gave us a taste of country, bluegrass and classical. A bell choir, chamber music-style Christmas songs and angels flying through the air gave us a glorious Christmas show. Our evening show was hard to describe. So popular there didn't seem to be an empty seat in the theater, SIX is a high-energy show featuring six brothers. They sing, they dance while they sing, and at the same time they provide their own backup "music." They make sounds like a full percussion section and just amazed us with their talent. As a special treat, their father played the grand piano to back them up on their last number.
Day 5 Our morning drive took us farther and farther from the Ozark Mountains. We drove into flatter country and realized that we missed seeing the green pastures and fall-colored leaves. We stopped for cheese and snacks at our morning break and then at a country meat market for great sandwiches at noon. Our afternoon stop was at the Treasures of the Steamboat Arabia Museum in Kansas City. People were mildly interested before the visit, but inside the museum we met one of the men who had actually excavated the boat. We heard the whole story of their personally financed adventure and saw the amazing amount of goods that have been cleaned and put on display. As we drove away from Kansas City, however, everyone was so excited about the stop that questions and conversation just flowed. Before checking into our hotel in St. Joseph, we stopped for a chocolate fix at Russell Stover. Snacks and beverages in the lobby tonight gave us a real opportunity to visit and relax.
Day 4 This morning we drove into old downtown Branson, dropping downhill to the Lake Taneycomo waterfront. The town has slowly changed over the years into a tourist destination, with the new Branson Landing development along the lake.
Our first show of the day was Yakov Smirnoff, who gave us lots of comedy, a celebration of Russian New Year complete with noisemakers, then Russian Christmas and Russian dancers. One of our group was called on stage to be part of the show. Yakov’s stories of coming to the United States and trying to learn the language were funny, but had us looking at English in a new way.
After lunch, we saw the Andy Williams show, and it was his birthday. Many of us had seen his television Christmas shows over the years, but to see him in person from our seats close to the stage was a real thrill. Andy had some very exciting and entertaining acts between segments of Christmas songs. His voice is still excellent, and he ended the show with “Moon River.”
We took a short rest break at the hotel, went to the Cracker Barrel for dinner tonight, and then drove through the Branson Festival of Lights. This colorful display gets better each year.
Our last show of the evening was the Dutton’s. This family is so talented, with comedy, singing, dancing and the ability to play several different instruments. A number of little Dutton's were also in the show, which gave everyone some chuckles and a glimpse of the pool of talent for the future.
Day 3-
With a gray, chilly day, it felt good to be inside today, and three shows certainly kept us busy! Our morning show was Doug Gabriel and the family including his wife, two sons and even the family dog. Doug Gabriel has a smooth voice and is a very talented guitarist. His wife is a beautiful singer, the older son plays drums in the band, the younger son gets out of high school to do some comedy on the show, and if their young daughter had not been in school this morning, she too would also have been on stage. People remarked about the wealth of talent on stage, including the back-up band members. One of our couples celebrated their 20Th anniversary today, but we also discovered during the show that one of our couples has been married 68 years! Our lunch was at the Branson Mill complex which gave us two choices for eating and many choices for shopping. From there we went to the Shoji Tabuchi show. With almost a full theater, there was a lot of energy which made for a great show. The entire show has a Christmas theme, although Shoji's violin/fiddle also gave us a taste of country, bluegrass and classical. A bell choir, chamber music-style Christmas songs and angels flying through the air gave us a glorious Christmas show. Our evening show was hard to describe. So popular there didn't seem to be an empty seat in the theater, SIX is a high-energy show featuring six brothers. They sing, they dance while they sing, and at the same time they provide their own backup "music." They make sounds like a full percussion section and just amazed us with their talent. As a special treat, their father played the grand piano to back them up on their last number.
Day 2-
Our drive south from the Kansas City area gave us a chance to get better acquainted with the rest of the group and also with Andy Williams, as we watched his very interesting biography. When we watch his show in a couple of days, we will think about those days where he struggled with his career to the point of having to eat Alpo. As we traveled south, it was like we went back to October. Skies were blue, temperatures were in the high 50s, there are still some fall leaves on trees, the grass is bright green and roses are still blooming.
Our first stop was at the Bass Pro Shop in Springfield, MO. This haven for fishermen and hunters is undergoing a huge renovation, with entire departments moved, exhibits added, a new waterfall with more mounted animals around it and an alligator in the new swamp area. We stayed long enough to have lunch, sight see and shop. Then we continued into higher and higher Ozark Mountains to Branson. Our first show was the Miracle of Christmas at the Sight and Sound Theater. The dramatic presentation of the Christmas story from the Gospels was presented in almost wrap-around style with both a front stage and two side stages. They used an excellent sound system, the singers had wonderful voices and the sets of Nazareth, Bethlehem, the shepherds' field and angels in heaven were amazingly beautiful. Our evening show was a complete opposite as we went to see the Baldknobbers, celebrating their 50Th anniversary as the first show in town. Country music, corny jokes that had the whole audience in laughter and a second half of Christmas music was a lively way to end a full day.
Our first stop was at the Bass Pro Shop in Springfield, MO. This haven for fishermen and hunters is undergoing a huge renovation, with entire departments moved, exhibits added, a new waterfall with more mounted animals around it and an alligator in the new swamp area. We stayed long enough to have lunch, sight see and shop. Then we continued into higher and higher Ozark Mountains to Branson. Our first show was the Miracle of Christmas at the Sight and Sound Theater. The dramatic presentation of the Christmas story from the Gospels was presented in almost wrap-around style with both a front stage and two side stages. They used an excellent sound system, the singers had wonderful voices and the sets of Nazareth, Bethlehem, the shepherds' field and angels in heaven were amazingly beautiful. Our evening show was a complete opposite as we went to see the Baldknobbers, celebrating their 50Th anniversary as the first show in town. Country music, corny jokes that had the whole audience in laughter and a second half of Christmas music was a lively way to end a full day.
Day 1 -
Bright sunshine and crisp temperatures started our Christmas in Branson tour. The farther south we drove, the warmer it got until we were looking at green grass and temperatures of 59 degrees. It felt balmy and encouraged us to linger outside. The day passed quickly as we got acquainted on the drive to Kansas City. Sunset colors made the view of the city skyline and crossing the Missouri River so lovely. It was dark by the time we pulled up in front of Crown Center, the three-story shopping mall that is really decked out for the holidays. Lighted trees across the street included the 100-foot Mayor's Christmas Tree. Fountains and the skating rink added to our view from the Center. Inside the giant wreaths, Christmas trees and swags were breathtaking. We had to take time to admire the Christmas gingerbread village that took almost 400 hours for chefs from the two hotels to put together. Groups of children performed every 45 minutes, so that was entertaining and made for a real bustling, holiday atmosphere. After time to eat and shop, we drove south into the Country Club district. The Country Club Plaza is lighted starting Thanksgiving evening with something like 80 miles of lights. The architecture of the Plaza is Moorish/Mediterranean and includes red tile roofs, fountains, wrought iron and 14 towers. We drove back and forth through the Plaza, getting close-up views and a final long distance view of the setting. It was good to find our hotel in Overland Park, and especially nice to find a welcome reception waiting for us.
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