Branson News Guide

The City of Branson’s Annual Water Quality Report for the 2005 calendar year has been released by the public works department and is available for public inspection.

The report is a requirement of all water systems, both municipal and private, by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The report is to inform the residents of a community about the quality of their water and to allow them to see the actual elements in the water based on tests performed during the year. It also contains definitions of terms and other information about the water system in Branson. According to the EPA, the report must mention any violations of water quality standards that might have occurred during 2005. The city of Branson had no violations.

Included in the report is a Consumer Confidence Hotline (337-8565) for any questions a citizen may have about the Water Quality Report. Copies of the report are available at the Branson Public Works Department, 601 Compton Drive, and at City Hall, 110 W. Maddux.

The next water quality report will be in June 2007 for the 2006 calendar year.

All new in 2006, The Butterfly Palace and Rainforest Adventure is an innovative concept in immersive natural entertainment. Located across the street from Celebration City on Hwy 76 in Branson, the all new facility is complete with two 3-D theatres, a state-of-the-art live butterfly exhibit, Emerald Forest Mirror Maze, and incredible insect zoo.

The Butterfly Palace and Rainforest Adventure offers an educational, interactive, and exciting adventure perfect for kids of all ages. During the 2-hour, self-guided tour, visitors have the chance to view a 3-D movie about the life of a butterfly. They are then escorted into a climate-controlled, botanical garden filled with over 1,000 live tropical butterflies from around the world. Here, visitors will experience the adventure of a lifetime as they witness butterflies right before their very eyes sipping nectar and fluttering through beautiful flowering gardens.

After viewing the butterflies, guests at The Butterfly Palace and Rainforest Adventure also have the opportunity to try and make their way through the amazing Emerald Forest Mirror Maze. This is one adventure where there are twists and turns around every bend, for nothing in the maze is quite what it seems! At the end of the tour, those who are brave enough have the chance to explore the incredible insect zoo. Here, visitors can sneak a close-up look at some of nature’s most fascinating critters such as scorpions, tarantulas, poison dart frogs, geckos, red-eyed tree frogs, and more!

From the educational 3-D film and live butterfly exhibit to the amazing Emerald Forest Mirror Maze and Insect Zoo, The Butterfly Palace and Rainforest Adventure is the perfect all-in-one, interactive experience for explorers of any age.

Starlite Entertainment, a leading provider of quality entertainment and first-class theatre management in Branson, Missouri, announced today the debut of a marvelous, all-new show for the Branson market – continuing it’s celebration of the the 1950’s - America’s most beloved musical era.

With over 100 shows presently in the competitive Branson market vying for theatre audiences, Starlite Entertainment management recognizes it must offer enhanced entertainment value to patrons each year to stay successful. Lost in the 50’s has been a successful Branson show for 8 consecutive years – and The Platters have performed here in Branson for even longer, first performing at Mutton Hollow in 1996. “The combination of these two incredible franchisees was staring us right in the face – this is a great idea whose time has come,” remarked Rob Patrick, Operations Manager at Starlite.

Just like the famous saying from the fifties, this new show really doubles your pleasure with a combination of the best sights, sounds and high energy production people have come to know and love from the Lost in the 50’s show, combined with the awe-inspiring vocal harmonies and hit songs of The World Famous Platters show. It’s a fantastic combination of music, memories and magical, top-notch performances and production. The combination production showcases singers, dancers, an incredible live band – and the World Famous Platters, all intricately woven together to provide a memorable and moving 1950’s experience.

From 1950-1955, The Platters were the most popular vocal group, recording just under 400 songs, selling over 89 million records, and receiving 230 awards that later helped them to be inducted into the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame.

“We’ve worked hard to combine the very best of these two shows, really bringing to life the wonderful nostalgia of the 50’s – including those incredible personalities and harmonies of The Platters – in one super production,” commented Ray Kennedy, the show’s producer. Kennedy’s long list of credits includes dozens of successful shows around the world. “We’ve really come up with something very exciting here.”

This exciting production begins on Friday, June 16 at 10:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., Monday-Saturday at the Starlite Theatre on Branson’s popular 76 strip, ushering in a whole new era of Branson entertainment.

In one of the highest-priced domain sales of the year and one of the most expensive domain name transactions of all time, Branson.com has just been purchased for $1.6 million. For publicly reported domain name sales, Branson.com is the 3rd highest price paid for a domain in 2006, the 21st most expensive of all time and the highest price ever paid for a city site. The site is a portal for Branson, Missouri, the “Live Music Capital Of The World,” a city that attracts over 7 million visitors annually.

Branson.com has not changed hands since its initial registration in 1995. Larry and Lianne Milton of Branson, Missouri, purchased the site in February 2006. After undergoing several months of creation and redesign, the new Branson.com offers information for both tourists and locals.

New owner Larry Milton said, “With a destination site like Branson.com, we thought it only fair and right that it be a website that represented Branson and a source of information about our city. Our focus from the very beginning was to make this a community and tourist-driven site that would benefit everyone.”

Residents of the area can find real estate, movie schedules, upcoming events and weather amongst many more areas that help with finding local information pertinent to the Branson area. Tourists are able to find lodging with maps, show schedules, and vacation packages and information. With an emphasis on being the most-up-to-date, concise and information-rich website about Branson, Branson.com’s new design caters to both residents of the surrounding area as well as tourists wanting to visit the vacation hot-spot. “We believe now and in the future, Branson.com will be the first stop and the ultimate resource for anything and everything dealing with Branson, Missouri,” continued Milton.

Country Music Legend Mel Tillis returns home to perform on stage at his former theater for select dates in September and October!

Beginning September 4th, Mel Tillis will be live in concert at the Tri-Lakes Center in Branson. 2006 marks Mel Tillis’ 50th year in the music business, during which he has recorded more than 60 albums. He has had thirty-six top ten singles, with nine of them going to number one - “Good Woman Blues,” “Coca Cola Cowboy,” and “Southern Rain,” to mention a few. A prolific songwriter and entertainer, Mel Tillis is the 25th highest –charting artist in country music history, scoring six dozen hits in Billboard Magazine’s country singles charts from 1958 till 1989. An eclectic group of artists have recorded his songs as well. His biggest hit, “I Ain’t Never,” was recorded by both John Fogerty and Grateful Dead front man Jerry Garcia.