Busy Week in Branson

Shoji the King Shoji Tabuchi is the undisputed king of Branson – unique, charming, and versatile, and man, can this guy fiddle! With a fancy purple theater; famous, luxuriously lavish restrooms; and a fast-moving high-tech show featuring a wide variety of music played with virtuosity and feeling with solid backup, Shoji was our biggest highlight and should not be missed.

Silver Dollar City Bob had been here before, and he didn’t tell me this place is so BIG. If he had, we would’ve gotten there earlier so we would’ve had the entire day to experience this theme park that includes craftspeople in old-time costumes in 60 shops, 12 stages with 50 shows throughout the day, special festivals, demonstrations and parades, amusement park with 17 rides, many restaurants and snack bars, and Marvel Cave. Three-quarters of a day was enough to get "a feel" for SDC, but if you enjoy this kind of experience, seriously consider purchasing a multi-day ticket.

American as Apple Pie Though there are a few performers of color (Shoji Tabuchi, Acrobats of China), Branson stands out for its lack of diversity in audience as well. In defense of this, it’s been stated that the Ozarks are "traditionally" white, so what can you expect? For whatever reason, Branson attracts performers as well as tourists who are largely white, mainstream, and "country."

Roots of Branson For some of the oldest local shows that started it all, see Baldknobbers Jamboree and Presley’s Country Jubilee.

Had enough shows? Two non-show attractions we visited were Shepherd of the Hills Fish Hatchery and Table Rock Lake and Dam. You could also ride a Duck. A renovated, repainted WWII military amphibious vehicle will take you for an 80-minute tour around Branson on the land and in the waters of Table Rock Lake.

Quick Tips:

Front-Row Seats Wherever you go, try to sit up as close to the front as you can. People in the front row get chosen to participate in skits, magic tricks, and other silliness, culminating in some kind of reward (above-mentioned tickets, autographed 8x10s, posters, CDs, and popcorn). Besides that, it’s a hoot to get onstage! You can also take better pictures, when allowed, sans the backs of peoples’ heads.

Money-Saving Coupons Sunny Day Guide’s map, booklet, and website offers a large array of money-saving coupons for activities, shows, and dining. They’re available just about everywhere in Branson, and discounted tickets can be printed from their website. Another good website is Branson, Missouri!, with everything you’d ever want to know about Branson and then some.

Shows ? Most shows run in the range for adults, half price or less for children. A few shows (including Shoji’s) run in the range.

Best Way To Get Around:

Car Rentals can be purchased at the airport from Alamo, Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Hertz, National, and Thrifty.

Getting Around
Beat the Traffic Use Branson Time Saver Routes, aka parallel routes, denoted on maps and signs with red, yellow, and blue color coding. You’ll get there considerably faster than on the always-congested 76 Country Boulevard, aka "the Strip". This is a car and tour bus town. I didn’t see any bikes or bike paths. Walking the Strip could be hazardous to your health from all the vehicle emissions. Another way to get around is to take a tour on a Duck, amphibious vehicles that are at home in water as on land.

We chose to camp in the sunny area higher on the hill and nearer to the clubhouse and activities center. Our campsite backed against a tree-shaded park (not Sunterra’s). Lake access is limited to the marina and trout dock in the northeast corner of the park, where you can also rent a pontoon or fishing boat and buy bait, tackle, and a fishing license. Lake Taneycomo’s reputation is excellent for trout fishing. But there’s no shortage of water, even if you don’t count the lake, as pools and ponds abound, with even one stocked with fish next to a laundry house. Curiously, we were unable to locate Fall Creek itself on the grounds or even on local maps.

Fall Creek Resort buildings are interspersed with timeshare condos and a large section of privately owned RV estates with lots with mobile homes on them. There is the presence of a convenience store, gas station, propane station, and car wash near the entrance, plus the many amenities on resort grounds make Fall Creek more like a self-contained village. Though there’s plenty to keep you busy in Branson, you could come to this resort and participate in the nonstop daily and evening activities without ever setting foot outside, including meals and shows. Barbeques and all-you-can-eat buffets cost only $8 at Clementine’s, the resort restaurant. The show we attended was a ‘50s theme party featuring 2 hours of performances by 14 local entertainers (see entry below). This was really helpful to get a feel for the types of shows available in Branson. An All-you-can-eat spaghetti dinner, including dessert and beverages, came with the party. Cost per adult: $6.50 for dinner and the show. Other shows and events that week included a country legacy show, country dancing to a live band, cowboy poetry and songs, a "not-so-newlywed" game, and an old-time gospel church service on Sunday. Card game lessons, bingo, water aerobics, golf outings, crafts, free non-surgical face-lifts, and recent release movies were some of the many additional offerings at Fall Creek.

Clementine’s is open for breakfast and lunch buffets daily and prime rib on Saturday evenings. Games you can play at the resort are volleyball, basketball, shuffleboard, mini-golf, croquet, badminton, ping-pong, darts, and tennis. Equipment checkout for any of the above is free. For golfers, Fall Creek provides a voucher to Holiday Hills Golf Resort for $40 ($16 savings). No RV? No problem. Rooms at Fall Creek rent from $50 to $229 (for three bedrooms) nightly.

• Campground Type: Private
• Campsite Type: RV
• Price Range: $0 - $10
• Cleanliness: Excellent
• Campground Facilities: Excellent
• Recreational Facilities: Excellent
• Campsite Satisfaction: Very Good
• Family Friendliness: Excellent
• Service: Very Good

Whipper-snappers is located in one end of Branson Towers Hotel in a rectangular dining room, with windows overlooking Branson down the hill. When we arrived at 5pm, the lobster fest had been going on already for an hour and the room was quite busy with people getting up to get more food at the buffet and serving staff milling around. If you have a choice in seating, balance your desire to be close to the buffet (in which case you’ll have lots of activity around you constantly, but not so far to maneuver) with a little peace and quiet, which is more to be found at the windows and along the far perimeters of the dining area. Whipper-Snappers packs ‘em in and does not serve alcohol of any kind. People come here for lobster, not ambience. But not everybody loves seafood. At the table next to us, several had ordered menu items such as fried chicken ($9).

Once we got settled in at our table, we made our way to the buffet, which is a bit cramped in its location next to the entryway with the cashier and souvenirs. The salad bar had head lettuce with a reasonable variety of additions, all fairly fresh, and the vegetable of the day was green beans. Mashed potatoes, gravy, and buns rounded out the side dishes, but of course our focus was on crustaceans. Our waitress helped us by reviewing the art of lobster-cracking, at which I must admit I’m a complete klutz. I also hate to waste food, and it seemed like there were lots of little tender lobster morsels still imbedded behind a difficult-to-penetrate shell, even after much concentrated cracking. Every lobster-eating table was given big plastic buckets in which to deposit the remains. We also sampled other crustaceans but kept coming back to the lobster; my total was three while Bob, incredibly, ate seven. By now we were quite full but returned yet once more to the buffet for dessert, a slim selection of cobblers, pie, and cake. As we wiped away the last crumbs and cleaned our fingers once more with wet ones, we made our way to the exit (which is also the entrance). We were sure glad we’d come early; a long line of people waiting stretched out in the restaurant, through the hallway, and into the hotel lobby!

You’ll find Odee’s in one of those rough, unfinished wooden buildings with a corrugated metal roof that looks like it was just thrown together without any particular rhyme or reason. The sign on the tall skinny wooden tower in front of Odee’s announces "BBQ Steaks & More."

Odee’s was all lit up with partying, food, and music on their big covered wooden deck when we arrived, creating a festive mood. Inside, the decor is similarly rustic in the dining rooms and bar in back. Cheerful yellow-painted walls and scuffed floors from frequent scraping chair legs make it homey. "Two-Fisted Law" and "Boots of Destiny," old cowboy movies, posters hung side by side on the wall by our table. Next to the bar, cowboy chaps and saddle with riding paraphernalia. Next to that was a gorgeous antique nickel-plated, wood-burning heater. Obligatory bison, elk, and boar heads are mounted above the fireplace, which was not burning on this mild October evening.

Seated comfortably in a booth in the quiet bar, we began by ordering a pitcher of Killian’s Irish Red. Bob had been leaning towards ordering a big steak when we started looking at the menu. Instead, we decided on the Platter for Two – a meat lovers’ dream with sliced beef, ham, pork, half a chicken, and four ribs. On the side came baked potatoes, pit beans, and Texas toast. Cost: $22 for the platter and sides for the both of us. When the platter arrived, we divided it between us. The meats were succulent and tender, with a wonderful smoky flavor, and there was enough of it for us to take a good portion of it home to include in another meal. I ordered a baked yam instead of a baked russet potato and felt it went better with the barbecued meats.

The atmosphere at Odee’s is friendly and relaxed. A diner in the other room sauntered over to ask us questions about our cameras. Service was good; we didn’t have to wait long for anything, except once when our waitress got tied up chatting with customers in the main dining area (we and one other couple were around the corner in the bar, preferring booths to tables). The menu has quite a few selections at very reasonable prices. All the appetizers are under $6, including a basket of (yum) homemade potato chips. You can select from hickory-smoked barbecue (as ours was), steak and seafood, or other dinners, mostly chicken and pork. A whole catfish dinner costs $12. Desserts include cobbler, pies (cream and pecan), and ice cream.

Just before the show began, the staff moved those of us sitting farther back to empty seats closer to the stage. The show begins powerfully with Shoji’s Japanese roots, massive taiko drums, which, as Shoji explains (in his CD), are made from a 300-year-old bubinga tree, requiring 20 more years to age to build the drum. Shoji then played some songs on the shamisen, a Japanese banjo-like instrument. Although the rest of the show was executed highly professionally with stunning visual effects and seamless performances, I felt the opening segment had the most heart. This is not a country music show, although Shoji includes country favorites. Other segments of the 2 hours feature polka, Elvis, Broadway, Hollywood, Hawaiian, and Cajun music. Shoji’s wife, Dorothy, produces the show and choreographs the dances. A large supporting cast, laser lights, and other special effects draw "oohs" and "ahs."

It’s intermission time, and I headed for the bathroom, along with most of the other women in the two-thirds full (1,900-seat capacity) theater. Talk about structured! Attendants were on hand inside directing ladies to empty stalls. After washing our hands, we got in another quickly moving line, where another attendant squirted a bit of lotion into one palm and handed out an Andes mint in the other. The woman in front of me gushed, "It makes me feel like I won the lottery!"

Shoji also sings, in a somewhat wavering accented tenor, and talks and jokes with the audience between numbers. We learn he fell in love with country music in 1964 when he was 17 while attending a Roy Acuff concert in Japan. The show draws to a close with a moving tribute to Shoji’s son from his first marriage, who died some years ago. The rousing patriotic finale ends the show with "Bridge over Troubled Waters" and "God Bless America." Nary an eye was dry at the standing ovation.

Illusionist team Dave and Denise Hamner (Dave a spitting image of Michael Douglas) swashbuckled onto the stage and introduced us to what would be a major theme of the Hamner portion of the show: birds, from small white doves to spectacularly feathered macaws and cockatoos. In an interesting twist, ventriloquist Jim Barber’s body with the head of sidekick dummy Seville (who looks like Jim) walked out on stage, carrying Seville’s smaller body with Jim Barber’s talking head. Actually, Seville was talking (and singing), and Jim was being ventriloquized. The effect was funny and a bit disorienting, especially when the redheaded female dummy in the purple feather boa was added to the picture. I hope Jim has a good chiropractor. We were also to meet curly-headed outspoken Baby (dummy) before the Hamners returned, this time levitating a young audience volunteer.

Back and forth between Jim and his dummies, singing, and comedy, and the Hamners and their magical acts kept us and the audience amused and soon got us involved. Our front-row seats this time not only got Bob on stage, but they also got me on stage in a game show to win a million dollars. I got the easy question, and Bob got an impossibly difficult one, so no mil for us, but we did get consolation bags of popcorn. By far the funniest audience involvement came when two guys from the audience were dressed up in wigs and glittery gowns along with Jim Barber, lip-synching and attempting dance moves to the Supremes’ "Stop In the Name of Love." And was I ever glad that wasn’t us.

Variety Show includes the talents of Hamners’ magic acts assistants, who sang and danced for us after intermission. One bizarre Hamner act featured Denise emerging through Dave’s midsection in an almost birth-like and seemingly painful process. In another, Dave had to free himself where he was tied up inside a locked cage in time to grab Denise from where she was falling and about to impale herself onto a bed of long spikes; he did, but of course, just barely. But the most enjoyable Hamner segments were those including their beautiful birds, who appear out of nowhere and fly around over the audience before returning to the stage. Jim’s dialogues with his cast of characters kept us chuckling, especially one with an adorable chimp, in which he talks on a banana-phone.

Nowadays, Herschend Family Entertainment runs the park, so it’s still in the family, but it’s merely a part of a sprawling empire that also includes Showboat Branson Belle and Celebration City theme park in Branson. They’re operating partners with Dolly Parton of Branson’s Dixie Stampede and Dollywood in Tennessee. And Silver Dollar City is now much bigger.

Old-Time Skills My favorite part of this park was watching the artisans and craftspeople practicing their old-time skills. It’s very educational and a wonderful way for kids to learn about lots of traditional crafts, about which most 21st-century youngsters don’t have a clue. At the wool spinning, dyeing, and weaving area, you learn that sheep were brought into the Ozarks along with the settlers in the 1800s, and dyes were made from local plants such as indigo, madder roots, and Osage orange. Just-dyed yarns are hanging over the fence in a rainbow of colors. The woman who’s dyeing the wool is sweating in her long skirts, sleeves rolled up, as steam from the boiling vats wafts around her. A couple of penned sheep rest behind her.

What is a "steam donkey?" It’s a boiler, steam engine, and sled, not a four-legged mammal. You can learn how these awkward-looking contraptions were used in Ozarks logging. A stationary one is in use to power the duplicating lathe, at which a hard-working man, wood shavings in his beard, toils. Lathe products include baseball bats and walking sticks. Wandering up and down the crooked hilly streets, I paused to view basket-weaving, broom-making, hand woodcarving, blacksmithing, and a steamy cooperage manned by a sturdy white-bearded cooper. Nearby, a man was stirring a dark substance in a one of the very barrels made by the cooper. Cider, apples, sugar, and cinnamon and lots of stirring make the finished product: apple butter. Some of the crafts I missed were glass-blowing, pottery-making, and wheel-making.

Marvel Cave: A 90-minute tour of Marvel Cave is included in the cost of park admission. I wanted to take the tour, but there was so much to see and do above ground that time ran out. Other, lesser attractions were walking across the Swinging Bridge (very mild swaying—you don’t even need to hold on) and going through Grandfather’s Mansion, kind of a rinky-dink funhouse. But those mirrors that make people look skinny are encouraging.

Homestead Ridge is the site of a small frontier village, including fully furnished cabins, a barnyard, school, and wilderness church with picture windows viewing the adjacent forest. One of the cabins and the church are authentic old structures the Herschend family hauled in and reconstructed when starting Silver Dollar City in 1960.

Wild Rides include Wildfire, a looping "cobra" roller coaster, and American Plunge log-flume, where you will get wet on your 35-mph splash down from five-story height. WaterWorks Waterboggan and Thunderation, a runaway mine train ride, were closed.

Activities for younger kids are concentrated in certain areas of Silver Dollar City. Geyser Gulch along Riverfront Road appeals to kids of all ages. Some high-power squirt hoses in two locations opposite each other at Splash Harbor could easily escalate into a water war to remember. I’m sure they get more use on hot summer days. Tom Sawyer’s Landing, with ropes, netting, and Huck’s Fort on top, seemed to be a kids’ favorite. My favorite kids’ activity was the three-story giant "treehouse", with some really fascinating toys. The central activity in this open-beamed netted area (sounds dangerous, but when seen, looks safe) was the potential for a war of rubber balls, shot from mounted guns. A giant squiggly xylophone and multi-colored chimes beg to be played. But the sun was getting low on the horizon, and I’d promised to meet Bob in front of Wagon Works Grill.

At its strategic location of entrance/exit, Ozark Marketplace contains nine shops, in addition to its own vast inventory. Just a fraction of what we found here: a Coca-Cola memorabilia section, all items on sale; half life-sized Betty Boop dolls; homemade jams, jellies, relishes, etc., at a better price than we’d paid south of Kansas City; and of course, plenty of Halloween decorations (it was two weeks away at the time).

Segueing to the taste buds… I was intrigued by the jerky stand, selling turkey, buffalo, deer, and elk jerky, plus some really exotic (to my mind) kinds like alligator, wild boar, and kangaroo jerky. Brown’s Candy Factory sells fudge and peanut brittle--yum. Phoebe’s sells taffy, and there are two kettle corn shops.

And now, for dinner: Bob had walked by Riverside Rib House and liked what he saw and smelled, but it was on the other side of the park when we got back together at 5pm. Buckshot Annie’s Skillet Cookery, also tempting, was even further off, so we settled for Wagon Works. At 5pm, it was one hour to closing, but Bob’s request, Steak on an Axle, didn’t fly because they’d run out of steak. Instead, he ordered the half-pound BBQ pulled-pork burger on a big bun. The smoked turkey chipotle wrap I had my heart set on only half flew. No more Anaheim chili peppers, but I had them substitute red onion slices. The wrap itself was on the dry side, and the tomato slices were pale pink and tasteless. But the Chuckwagon steak and bean soup (the only thing they had left with steak in it) we shared, in a sourdough bread bowl, was steaming hot and quite good. Sodas were outrageously expensive: $2.59 for the smallest cup, with no refills. Forget it! Lesson learned: Better eat in mid-afternoon, before they start to run out. But the food filled us up, and the accompanying live ragtime music was enjoyable, including the old guy who accompanied pianist Don on wooden clackers.

When we bought the tickets, at $6.50 per adult, we were told to come early to stand in line for a good seat, because this show always sells out. Although we weren’t the first in line, we were fairly fast-moving once the doors opened – no, we didn’t push anyone else aside, but we did manage to get center-front row seats. Probably because a round end table just big enough for two had been placed up in front against a long center table, and others in larger groups all were seating themselves at the longer tables. We lucked out once again when our "row" was selected to be the first at the buffet, an all-you-can-eat selection of spaghetti, salad, bread, spice cake, and beverages, such as sodas, bottled water, and coffee.

The Show Begins Our emcees quickly got things moving when people were finishing dinner and performers began arriving. Fitting with the theme of the evening, the first to arrive were four cute young guys from Lost in the ‘50s singing a medley of songs from that decade. Not to be forgotten from the following decade, a musical duo from #1 Hits of the ‘60s came in bell bottoms and glitter to serenade us. They were followed by Dennis Michael Kolb, all in black leather. Thursday (in two more days), he was putting on "a one man show" at the resort for $18 per couple, with complimentary wine, cheese, and crackers. Dennis sings and does impressions of Roy Orbison, Elvis, Ricky Nelson, and the Beatles.

Well, if it ain’t the Duke Well, sorta… The resemblance is uncanny. John Wain looks an awful lot like John Wayne, and he does capitalize on it. At his weekend shows at the IMAX’s Little Opry Theatre, he also does Walter Brennan imitations. Janelle, the "cave lady" from Talking Rocks Cavern gave us a trivia question: "What is the main function of a cave?" Answer: "Drainage." Tours at this nearby Missouri cave range from mild to wild… Wild = "You will get very dirty in the mud cave." Dress appropriately.

My Husband, the Star Bob got picked to help Mike Douglas look-alike Dave Hamner in a magic trick using metal hoops. All he had to do was sit there, smile and look handsome, and handle some hoops - Dave did all the work. For Bob’s (minimal) efforts, we got a free ticket to Hamner-Barber Variety Show (see entry in this journal). Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede sent us a cowboy to sing "I Shoulda Been a Cowboy," which seemed a bit redundant. But although Dolly isn’t around much at the Stampede, they do have horseback riding competitions, ostrich and pig races, big four-course meals (vegetarian option available upon request), and of course, a "buffalo stampede."

Talented multi-generational Branson Families The Duttons are among them. They sing and play strings, mostly violins, and offer a variety of music, dancing, yodeling, and comedy at their own theater complex. The Hughes Brothers are another Branson family who came to entertain us, singing "Elvira" and other tunes. Country, gospel, and Broadway songs are included in their repertoire. Their family of 18 performers (and probably growing) includes wives and kids at their own Celebrity Theater on the Strip. Newcomers to Branson, the Warnocks from Wyoming work for tips only at the Branson Mall. Dad and four of his bright-eyed, angel-voiced daughters sang "Amazing Grace" for us.

Harley Worthit?: He was pretty silly, representing the Delene show, a country, gospel, and rock songstress providing afternoon shows at Hughes Brothers Theatre. Silly Harley gives new meaning to the words "mismatched." Jim Owen has a long and illustrious country music career, writing 130 hits in the last 35 years, including "Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man" (Loretta Lynn), and he won an Emmy for portraying Hank Williams Sr. in a 1978 PBS special. He gave us a sample of his "Bless his Heart" comedy routine about the dumb things people do, which must have been so stupid that I’ve forgotten them all.

Our Lucky Night Most performers brought brochures and discount coupons to their shows, some for as much as $8 off per person, all passed out to us, the audience. This show was winding to a close, but the emcees told us to wait because they still had door prizes to give out. Everyone had gotten a couple of free raffle tickets when they arrived, and did I say it was our lucky night? I guess it was, because we were the winners of two Passion Play tickets in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. That made it that much easier to decide where our next destination would be…