Traveling by bus from Branson to the airport in Kansas City.
Christy and Hal are sitting in the seat behind us.
Going to Branson, we left our home at 2:30 in the morning for
Salt Lake City where our flight on Southwest
departed for Denver.
There was a scheduled layover in Denver for about an hour and a half;
but after boarding the plane, we had to sit on the tarmac for two hours
due to a bird having been discovered in the engine.
Not only did they have to get the bird out,
but most of delay was caused by inspections and reporting.
The second leg of our flight was to St. Louis,
where we got on our tour bus and traveled to Branson.
We had not known what the flight plans were
when we booked the tour,
so we were disappointed when we got the itinerary;
but once we got to Branson,
we were pleased with the rest of the tour.
Part of our group eating at Lambert's Cafe,
home of the "throwed roll!" in Sikeston, Missouri.
Our group of 50 had a comfortable bus.
This is our tour guide for the whole week,
Steve Judd of Brian Judd Tours.
He and our bus driver, Dale Cook, were great.
Grand Oaks Hotel
The stairs leading up to the second floor
The stairs leading up to the second floor
where our room was to the left at the end of the hall.
This was our eighth time being in Branson. The first time Sam and I went there was December 4-11 in 1999 for a mini-family reunion with my sister and my brother and his wife and their two sons, Ronald and Harold.
The Christmas shows begin in Branson the first week in November, and in 2001 we enjoyed seeing the fall colors and enjoying the Christmas shows with our friends Helen and Harvey Bauss from Ann Arbor and staying with Steve and DelRae Luehrs. I first met DelRae when she lived in Nebraska and was one of my best AYUSA Community Representatives, who became one of my Regional Directors when she and Steve moved to Branson. Sadly, DelRae's breast cancer later took her life.
In 2004, Sam's sister Karen and husband Bill went with us for an October visit to Branson; and we enjoyed being there for the regular season shows.
After coming home from our mission in Russia in 2009, we had a reunion in Branson with five other couples we had become friends with in Moscow. For our previous three visits to Branson, I had been the one to research the shows and make the reservations, so I did it once again for this reunion visit. The Sheperds who were living in Dallas at that time knew the Brett family (from Dallas) who had a show in Branson, and we enjoyed having lunch with Tom Brett who also met us later at the church building where he served and where we had a Family Home Meeting with our Russian missionary friends in the cultural hall.
At the end of our family reunion in Missouri/Arkansas, our family went to Branson and went to the Rick Thomas Magic Show together; after that show, family members went in groups to different shows of their choosing. This was in June of 2011.
In August of 2012, we went to Kentucky for Judd and Amy's wedding; and before returning home, we visited Jeff and Rochelle's family in Arkansas and also went to Branson.
Our friends Hal and Christy Smith were with us on our Mississippi River Cruise in October 2016 that began in Minnesota and ended in Saint Louis where we took a bus to Branson. Jeff was able to join us for one day bringing Austin and Kate with him, and we enjoyed our time with them in Silver Dollar City.
For this last visit to Branson, we had booked with Brian Judd Tours, having been pleased with our experience going with them to Hawaii in the spring of 2018. Our return itinerary on this Branson trip was not much better than we had going. Boarding the bus in Branson at 8:00 a.m. on November 10, our tour group traveled to Kansas City where we flew to Dallas and then changed planes for our return to Salt Lake City, arriving there about 8:30 p.m.
Here are some photos from this last Branson visit.
The Brett's Christmas Show at the Dick Clark Theater.
November 5 - 10:00 a.m.
This was a very enjoyable show
with quality talent.
On our first visit to Branson in 1999, we saw this family show
at Silver Dollar City.
On later visits, they had a regular show in a theater in Branson.
Currently, they are only in Branson for the Christmas season
and travel to other venues.
with quality talent.
On our first visit to Branson in 1999, we saw this family show
at Silver Dollar City.
On later visits, they had a regular show in a theater in Branson.
Currently, they are only in Branson for the Christmas season
and travel to other venues.
This is from the Brett's tribute to the military.
Each of the shows in Branson include honoring the veterans.
Lunch time and shopping were available at Old Town Branson.
When we were here with Jeff and kids in 2012, we spent
some time browsing through the famous
Dicks 5 and 10 in historic downtown Branson.
Dinner at 6:00 p.m.
at the Outback Steakhouse.
The Dutton Family Christmas Show
Each of the shows in Branson include honoring the veterans.
Lunch time and shopping were available at Old Town Branson.
When we were here with Jeff and kids in 2012, we spent
some time browsing through the famous
Dicks 5 and 10 in historic downtown Branson.
Dinner at 6:00 p.m.
at the Outback Steakhouse.
The Dutton Family Christmas Show
November 5 - 8:00 p.m.
Another talented family.
This is a traditional part of their show in Branson
where they each play on the instrument of the person
standing next to them.
Each show in Branson also includes a religious part.
In the November and December shows this
often features a Nativity scene.
In the November and December shows this
often features a Nativity scene.
And, of course, Santa is a welcome visitor.
After getting his medicine from the nurse,
Santa jumped right up out of his wheelchair, gave a kick, and went up the stairs.
Day Three - Wednesday, November 6
The day started with breakfast at our Grand Oaks Hotel
followed by a leisurely morning.
At 11:00 a.m. we went to the Branson Riverfront Landing.
There was still some fall colors,
although not as vivid as other times we have been to Branson,
as they had experienced a freeze before we came.
This is the water fire, light, and music show
at the foot of the "Town Square"
on the Lake Taneycomo.
After dark it is impressive, but not so much in this photo.
Above on the top of the hill at the right
is a large Nativity scene.
By Branson Landing Shopping Center
Hughes Brothers Christmas Show
2:00 p.m.
The original Hughes Brothers
who have now grown to include the wives, children, and grandkids
who all sing, dance, play various instruments and are very talented.
They do country, classics, musicals, solos, gospel,
and a variety of dancing.
The music is performed live,
and the harmony of the brothers is great.
The children are mostly home schooled,
which includes a full schedule including many
hours practicing instruments, singing, and dancing.
They have been performing in Branson for over 25 years,
and this time for us it was a favorite.
An impressive Nativity production
with a live "Baby Jesus."
The Bretts, the Duttons, and the Hughes families are all
members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
When we were in Branson several years ago,
we attended church on Sunday.
It was a Fast and Testimony meeting,
and several of the performers bore their testimonies.
After dinner at Montana Mike's Steakhouse, we went to the
Presley's Country Jubilee Christmas Show.
The Presley's Country Jubilee
Cecil (shown at the right) and Herkimer (not in photo)
provide the comedy routine in the show.
This is the first show we ever saw in Branson.
Cecil (shown at the right) and Herkimer (not in photo)
provide the comedy routine in the show.
This is the first show we ever saw in Branson.
We had driven to Branson from South Dakota to
meet up with my sister, brother, and two nephews
for a fun time in Branson in 1999.
As Sam and I arrived before any of the other family members,
we decided to walk over to the nearest show,
which turned out to be this show.
This has the distinction of being the first live theater in Branson,
having been built in 1967.
The show has a mix of country, gospel, bluegrass, and comedy.
The Presley's show has some guest performers
as well as members of the original family.
Day 4 - Thursday - November 7
as well as members of the original family.
Day 4 - Thursday - November 7
Sightseeing tour of Branson including
the Branson Overlook and
College of the Ozarks.
The Osmond family have homes on both sides
of the street in the center of the photo.
The condominiums to the right are more recent buildings.
One of the large mansions across the river
behind the trees had belonged to Andy Williams.
College of the Ozarks
A Christian liberal arts college in Point Lookout, Missouri.
The college has an enrollment of 1,426,
a student-to-teacher ratio of approximately 16:1,
over 30 academic majors in Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science programs.
It is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church.
The college charges no tuition for full-time students
due to its student work program and donations.
The college refers to itself as "Hard Work U."
We visited the museum at the school.
Sam is standing by a horse-drawn drill for planting.
They had several greenhouses at the school
These orchids were growing in the one I entered.
a statement explaining that the school's athletic teams would no longer
use uniforms made by Nike:
"If Nike is ashamed of America, we are ashamed of them."
After our lunch break at Panera Bread,
at 2:00 p.m., we went to our next show:
The Texas Tenors
"Deep in the Heart of Christmas Show"
at the Andy Williams Moon River Theater
"America's Got Talent"
and now live in Branson.
from country ballads to opera's favorite arias.
This was another great show.
I read online that their "Country Roots - Classic Sound" album
was critically acclaimed and topped #1 on both
classical and country music Billboard charts.
Our final show for Day 4 was
"Dolly Parton's Stampede Christmas Dinner Show."
The large Christmas tree outside the Dolly Parton theater.
Everyone is served a four-course holiday meal:
bowl of creamy vegetable soup,
a small rotisserie chicken,
a slice of hickory smoked barbecued pork loin,
a slice of hickory smoked barbecued pork loin,
herb-basted potato, corn-on-the-cob,
a biscuit, lemonade, and a chocolate pudding dessert.
is the live Nativity including the three wise men
coming in on live camels.
and a magic trick where a girl
supposedly chosen from the audience
is magically moved from wagon to wagon.
After the show, there are some little contests
that appeal more to a younger audience.
This is the third time we have been to this show.
It has never been one of our favorites
and won't be one we will choose should we go to Branson again.
Once you have seen it, it is not that different the next time;
and the food is okay but more than you should be eating at one time.
In the next blog entry, I will post pictures from Day 5 and
also Day 6, which we spent at Silver Dollar City.
On our return home, we stopped in Springfield at the Bass Pro Shop.
