Comedian Jim Barber and illusionist team The Hamners announce today that they will star in a new production show entitled the Hamner Barber Variety Show opening the evening of April 9, 2004 at “The Victorian,” formerly known as the “Sons of the Pioneers Theater” next to the Victorian Shopping Center on Shepherd of the Hills Expressway in Branson, Missouri.

This new production show will feature award winning illusions of Dave and Denise Hamner as well as the vocal comedy of internationally recognized ventriloquist Jim Barber. Also featured are professional dancers A. J. Heard, Ken Brown and Tim Lewis. The entire cast of the show are widely recognized for their talents and have been long time favorites with Branson area audiences. They are excited for this opportunity to perform together and look forward to a long run in “The Victorian.” The season will open with many of their popular routines for which they are famous for including some new surprises. They are also developing many new routines which will be added to the production throughout the year.

David and Denise Hamner have headlined many major production shows around the world, presenting their award winning and original feats of magic. Venues include not only Las Vegas, Disneyland and Hollywood’s famous “Magic Castle” but also Branson where they starred in the productions Branson City All Star Revue and Magic of the Night which earned them multiple “Featured Performance” honors in the Branson All American Entertainment Awards. They were recently presented the prestigious “Magic Masters Award” by their magical piers in Las Vegas as well as the “Merlin Award” for “Best Manipulation.” Internationally know magicians Siegfried and Roy personally honored the Hamners by presenting them with their “Bronze Lion Head Award” for performance excellence.

The Hamners are best known for their one of a kind act in which they produce ten enormous exotic birds. Their beautiful Macaws and Cockatoos appear amid flying cards, flaming swords, falling coins and jewels and then perform an incredible flight over and around the audience before gracefully returning to the stage. Other original illusions to be featured in the new variety show include The Stargate, The Lightning Levitation, The Syringe Impailment, and Vertigo: The Fall of Death. The Hamners have performed these effects on many national television shows including NBC’s “World’s Greatest Magic” and on specials produced for the Trinity Broadcasting Network.

Dave Hamner is also an ordained Minister with extensive educational training. He and his wife Denise have held special theater worship services in Branson whenever they appear here locally. The Hamners are excited and feel blessed to once again have the opportunity of preaching the gospel each Sunday morning at 10:00am at The Victorian.

Jim Barber is recognized as one of the world’s great ventriloquists and has been honored as the “International Ventriloquist of the Year,” “Comedy Entertainer of the Year,” by the National Association of Campus Activities and Showtime, the Movie Channel named him one of the “Funniest People in America,” for his creative approach to the art of ventriloquism.

Jim was first introduced to Branson as the featured comedian in Glen Campbell’s Goodtime Show. He has since been featured in other successful Branson productions with The Osmonds, Tony Orlando, Kirby VanBurch and the late Eddie Rabbitt. He served as a national co-host for the Jerry Lewis “Stars Across America” Labor Day Telethon and has appeared on many national television shows on The Nashville Network, A&E, Fox, ABC, and NBC. Jim appears regularly in Las Vegas, Reno and major resort destinations performing for national corporate events and his participation in USO shows have taken him around the world entertaining our troops. He is also a favorite aboard cruise ships and was recently a featured artist for the maiden Caribbean voyage of the world’s largest cruise liner, Cunard’s Queen Mary 2.

Beyond his reputation as an area performer, Jim also combines his creativity with computers as co-owner of Image Works, Inc., a video production, graphic design and publishing company. Jim has extensive training and experience in multimedia and has personally developed projects for Silver Dollar City, Big Cedar Lodge, Glen Campbell, Jimmy Osmond, Yakov Smirnoff, Pierce Arrow, Paul Harris and many other businesses in the Branson area and around the country. He also is honored to serve on the board of directors for “Mountain Country Habitat For Humanity” and his family are members of First Presbyterian Church of Branson. Jim’s wife Diane has an extensive musical theater background and will perform in the new show’s holiday production, “The Wings of Christmas” during November and December.

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Belk will enter the Missouri market in spring 2006 with a new 66,000-square-foot fashion department store at Branson Landing, in Branson, Mo., pending negotiation and signing of a final lease. The Belk, Inc. Board of Directors passed a resolution approving the new store on March 10.

“Branson is a wonderful community and we’re excited to announce the opening of our first Missouri store at Branson Landing,” said Linda Zwern, chairman of Belk’s Western Division based in Greenville, S.C. “The store’s layout, decor and merchandise selections will be designed especially to meet the shopping needs of customers in this area. Belk has an outstanding reputation for providing customers with the best in fashion, value, quality and prompt friendly service and we look forward to continuing this tradition in Branson.”

The new store will offer leading brands of fashion apparel, accessories, shoes, cosmetics and home merchandise, including exclusive Belk private brands. Each department will feature a unique décor and fixtures that enhance merchandise presentation. The store will also offer a variety of Belk customer services, such as a gift registry, gift-wrapping, alterations, Great Gifts cards and Belk revolving and interest-free charge accounts. Developer Rick Huffman of HCW Development Company said, “We are delighted to be able to welcome such an exceptional, well-respected department store to Branson Landing. Belk has an incredible history, combined with a successful track record, and the Branson community is eager for this store to open. This quality first-class shopping addition will reinforce our appeal to Branson’s newer demographic of younger and more affluent customers.”

Urban Retail Properties Co., the nation’s leading retail property management firm, is leasing and will manage Branson Landing. “The merchandise strategy at Branson Landing is to offer a unique shopping and dining experience in a beautiful, waterfront setting and Belk is a perfect fit for the project,” said Ross B. Glickman, CEO of Urban Retail.

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Branson, the live entertainment capital of the world and a world class fishing destination, is about to be the new location for one of America’s favorite sporting goods stores – Bass Pro Shops.

In a joint announcement today, Bass Pro Shops officials, Branson Mayor Lou Schaeffer and Branson Landing developer, Rick Huffman announced an agreement has been signed for the Branson Bass Pro Shops to open at the Landing in March 2006.

Developer Rick Huffman of HCW Development Company said today “We are delighted to have Bass Pro Shops as one of the major retail anchors of our Branson Landing waterfront development. Bass Pro Shops stores are unique destination retail locations.”

The Branson store will range between 40,000 and 60,000 sq. ft. in contrast to the 300,000 sq. ft. headquarters store in Springfield. It will feature an operating marina, guide service, boat rental and boat service center. The Branson store will be patterned after Bass Pro Shops Worldwide Sportsman store in Islamorada, FL which also features a waterfront location and is one of the top tourist destinations in the Florida Keys. This store will highlight the rich fishing heritage of the White River area and display historical photos, artifacts, record mounts and a tribute to Jim Owens and other long-time fishing legends.

The unique position of their newest store on the shores of Lake Taneycomo will also allow Bass Pro Shops to showcase their wide range of boats in a real time waterfront experience. It will create unique opportunities for customers to test drive the full range of Tracker, Nitro and Sun Tracker boats.

Lou Schaeffer was pleased to welcome Bass Pro Shops to his city. Mayor Schaeffer said “I have known Johnny Morris and his late father, John A., for most of the 52 years I have lived in Branson, and Lake Taneycomo means as much to the Morris family as it does to me and the rest of the Branson community.

To have a Bass Pro Shops store and marina as part of our waterfront development on Lake Taneycomo, will be a great asset for our visitors and residents alike.”

“We are very much committed to the Branson market and fishing in the Ozarks. This store continues that commitment. It is our feeling that this unique specialty store will compliment our store in Springfield which is Missouri’s #1 tourist attraction,” stated Bass Pro Shops President Jim Hagale. “The integrated waterfront marina at the Branson store will give a unique experience to our customers. It is our hope that the Branson store will introduce more people to fishing and the water resources that make this part of the country so special.”

Rick Huffman said that the ground breaking for the Branson Landing Development would be announced soon.

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