I had to chuckle to myself the other day when I heard my four year old daughter sing ‘Rain, Rain, Go Away, Lizzie and Daddy want to play!’ There was a sprinkle coming down and we were having a ball playing in it. Business as usual at our place.

Some business folks in Branson, however, aren’t chuckling about rain. Media reports would have you believe that Branson ought to be changing its name to Atlantis, after the mythical underwater city. Unfortunately, they’re confusing this area with the flooding that occurred in central Iowa, in the northern mid-west and along parts of the Mississippi River on Missouri’s eastern border.

Robert McCracken, head of the Branson Travel Agency, says that he’s fielded numerous questions about the conditions in Branson. ‘What I do is direct my customers to the Internet and show them that Branson remains unaffected. As designed, the dams operated by U.S. Army Corp of Engineers handled the water in the region’s lakes perfectly. We’re flying guests into the airports in St. Louis, Springfield, Kansas City, Tulsa, and northwest Arkansas and they’re having absolutely no problems getting here. Branson is open for business!”

It’s true that we’ve experienced almost a year’s worth of rain in just seven or so months, but, with apologies to Mark Twain, the reports of Branson, Missouri being underwater are greatly exaggerated!

Lizzie and I’ll save some sunshine for you. See you in Branson!

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You never know who is going to turn up in Branson! A special group of people were in town recently at the RFD-TV Theatre. Well, not exactly a group of ‘people’. It was Terry Fator and his friendly gang of puppets.

A master ventriloquist, singer, comedian and celebrity impressionist, Fator won the hearts of millions of NBC-TV fans as he was crowned the 2007 “America’s Got Talent” $1 million prize winner. Branson’s own talented family, The Duttons, fared well on the program, making into the the Top 10 in 2007’s competition.

Fator has appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman and on Oprah Winfrey’s show where fellow guest Simon Cowell (of American Idol fame) exclaimed ‘You’re one of the best entertainers in the world!’

Beginning in February, 2009, Fator and friends will be headlining at Las Vegas’ Mirage Hotel kicking off a five-year $100 Million dollar contract. He continues to sell out concerts nationwide with his mesmerizing ability to combine superb ventriloquy, yes that’s a real word, with amazing celebrity singing impressions.

Congratulations, Terry. Enjoy Las Vegas and stop back by Branson anytime.

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Joe Bryant, Commander of the Harry S. Truman Chapter 135 of the Korean War Veterans Association delivered a heartfelt message for the 55th Anniversary Observance of the Korean War Armistice. On July 27, 1953 a treaty was signed to halt the fighting in Korea. Three years, one month and two days after the hostilities began the arms were silenced. No permanent agreement to end the war was ever reached. American troops are still on duty in South Korea.

We thank the Harry S. Truman Chapter 135, based in Branson and Hollister, for conducting the commemorative service.

If you know a Korean War veteran, please take a moment to thank them for their service.

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In the several years that I have lived here, I’ve found that the people of Branson are kind hearted and disarmingly friendly. But one of the qualities that I most admire is that they do not forget our nation’s veterans.

For instance, on Saturday, July 26 the Harry S. Truman Chapter of the Korean War Veterans Association will host a memorial ceremony marking the end of “The Forgotten War.” The remembrance will be held at the Ozarks Memorial Park, 1638 East Highway 76 Branson, Missouri at 10:00a.m.

‘This brief ceremony will be reverent and reflective. Our purpose is to quietly gather to honor veterans, our friends, who served in the Korean War and to remember those who did not return home’ shared Joe Bryant, journalist and Korean War Veteran.

The Korean War is often cited as the Forgotten War because it came on the heels of World War II and was overshadowed in the next decade by the war in Viet Nam. On June 25, 1950, the Communist forces of North Korea, with support from the Soviet Union, invaded their southern Korean neighbors, who were supported by the United States. President Harry S. Truman ordered American troops into battle and they were soon joined by soldiers from 15 other United Nations member countries. The conflict escalated when Chinese soldiers reinforced the North Koreans. An armistice, officially signed on July 27, 1953, ended the fighting.

Unfortunately, peace was never truly declared and the country still remains divided.

At the time of the Korean War there were 5.7 million men and women in the US Armed Services with 1.8 million having served in the Korean War Theater. More than 36,000 US personnel died in Korea and 103,000 were wounded. Chinese and Korean casualties were higher by a factor of 10. 131 Korean War participants received the Congressional Medal of Honor. Sadly, there are 8176 men unaccounted for.

I am proud to say that both of my parents were in the military during those years.

Please take time to remember those who served in Korea.

[ The photograph is courtesy of the Korean War Memorial, Washington, D.C. ]

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It was a typically hot, sweltering summer day in Branson. I was working on my second shot on the Fourth Hole. A warm breeze was flowing from the southwest, but it wouldn’t be much of a factor for my next shot. My ball had miraculously landed just short of a treacherous water hazard and I was hoping to save my par, and my dignity, and move on to Number Five.

I didn’t have a caddy helping me out, so I was left to my own devices. A carpet of grass stretched out before me. I detected an almost imperceptible rise about a foot in front of the hole. How should I tackle this? Without thinking, I fiddled with the yellow band on my left wrist. It read WWTD. Indeed, What Would Tiger Do?

Steeling my resolve, I addressed the ball. With my perfectly balanced putter, I connected squarely on the sweet spot. It rolled and rolled, and headed for the rise. Was there enough power? Would Tiger have hit it harder?

The ball took the rise with vigor as it rolled straight and true, right into the center of the cup. YES! It was all I could do not to throw my hat into the air in celebration. I tried to remain humble as I approached the hole to retrieve my ball. On this day, Hole Number Four would not get the better of me.

Now it was on to Hole Number Five and the battle against the dreaded Windmill.

There are a lot of great golf courses in Branson – miniature and otherwise. Go out and enjoy one of them.

See you on the links!

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If you find yourself in Branson in early August of each year, you’re likely to hear ‘Calling All Cruisers! Rev up your engines for The Super Summer Cruise!’ Trust me, if you are a car enthusiast, don’t miss this event.

This year’s Super Summer Cruise, Branson’s premier car extravaganza, takes place on August 7-9, 2008 at Shepherd of the Hills Historic Homestead. It includes The Show‘n’Shine and The Midnight Cruise.

The Show’n’Shine gives private owners an opportunity to show-off more than 500 Stock automobiles and trucks, Modified trucks, Street Machines, Street Rods, Muscle Cars, Modified Muscle Cars, Corvettes, Mini-trucks, and 4×4’s. The public is cordially invited to see the cars and trucks on display.

Entrants will vie for cash awards and prizes. Judging will take place at the Shepherd of the Hills location on all three event days. Times for Thursday and Friday are 9:00-5:00pm and for Saturday, 8:30am–1:00pm.

The Midnight Cruise kicks off on Saturday night at , you guessed it, Midnight! This three mile long cruise begins at Gretna Road and W. Hwy. 76, and proceeds toward the Shepherd of the Hills Expressway, where it will turn right and extend the length of the Expressway to Roark Valley Road. The rally point for all cars participating in the cruise will be the White Water parking lot.

It has become a tradition for spectators to line the streets along the cruise route, sitting in lawn chairs or standing two and three people deep, greeting the drivers and admiring the fabulous cars and trucks.

Visit www.supersummercruise.com for more details.

The Super Summer Cruise is a great way to have some summer fun with the family. See you there!

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Branson master ventriloquist, Dog’s Best Friend, and funnyman Todd Oliver, has announced that he and his world-famous talking dog, Irving, will appear on NBC’s perennial morning-show powerhouse, TODAY, on Monday, July 21. Todd’s interview will take place during the fourth hour of the show, which broadcasts beginning at 10:00 am Central Time.

No stranger to network television, Todd and his canine pals have appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Show with David Letterman, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and with Chuck Norris on Walker Texas Ranger. Other appearances include The Oak Ridge Boys’ Live in Las Vegas, and Penn and Teller’s Sin City Sensational.

When Todd and his menagerie aren’t headlining aboard the Showboat Branson Belle on Branson’s beautiful Tablerock Lake, you’ll find them touring across the nation to comedy clubs, production theatres and corporate events. You owe it to yourself to catch Todd’s live show. His engaging personality, family-friendly quick wit, and his zany cast of endearing characters serve to make his show one of Branson’s best-loved live experiences.

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