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Tim Mabe,
left, in his role as Droopy Drawers Jr., performs
with Patty Mabe in Branson, Missouri.
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BRANSON, Mo. — Fox hunts,
cakewalks and pie suppers — in which the highest bidder
got to eat the pie with the girl who baked it — were
Ozark traditions a half-century ago. So were the Mabe
brothers.
"They'd have fox hunts
all around the Ozarks, men would get together, it was more
of a social gathering," said Brent Mabe, son of Lyle,
one of the four brothers. "They decided they wanted
some entertainment before they ran the dogs, so my dad and
his brothers would go out and sing for them and tell some
jokes."
By 1959, the brothers were
so popular with the locals — and the visitors who came
to fish the man-made lakes — that they started
performing at Branson City Hall.
Then the brothers took over
an old skating rink in downtown Branson. They donned
hillbilly costumes and used homemade instruments,
including a washtub bass and the jawbone of a mule. They
called themselves the Baldknobbers, the name of a
secretive vigilante group that met at night on the bald
knobs of the hills.
"That was the first
actual live music theater in Branson," Brent Mabe
said. "By 1968, they were drawing big enough crowds
that they decided to open a theater on 76 Highway, where
the Presley family was performing. It scared them to death
'cause they didn't know how it would work."
The Baldknobbers and the
Presleys were the first, but the number of venues grew
over the years. Today, 50 theaters make Branson the
country's live music-show capital. Branson has 50,042
theater seats, more than Broadway, Las Vegas or Nashville,
Tenn., which are the key to attracting about 8 million
visitors a year.
Dan Lennon is a member of
the singing family that included the Lennon Sisters, which
relocated to Branson in 1994.
"There were about 30
of us moved out from California," he said.
"Since that time, the younger Lennons have
intermarried with the natives, so there's a lot of little
Lennons running about the Ozarks that have known no other
home."
The sisters still perform
in Branson during Ozark Mountains Christmas.
Lennon, who is vice
president of marketing for the Branson Lakes Area Chamber
of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the
faltering economy and bad weather in the Midwest had cut
visitation by 3.7 percent last year. Early numbers
indicate this year should be "flat or up a little
bit," he said.
"The reason for that
is twofold," Lennon said. "First, Branson is
considered a value destination, which is good in this
current economic environment. Second, we have just opened
the Branson Airport, which will improve accessibility with
low-cost flights. We think it will have an effect in the
eight- to 10-hour drive circle, particularly for working
folks who don't have a lot of vacation and would prefer
not to spend the time on the road."
This summer, the
Baldknobbers Jamboree is celebrating its 50th anniversary
in its state-of-the-art theater, which has been updated
four times. But that's about all that has changed. The
production is still a family affair, with six Mabes,
including Brent, on stage and nine working out front. And
the show still mixes bluegrass and gospel music with a
hillbilly humor that is pure Americana.
"I slept in a guitar
case backstage when I was a baby. I've literally been in
music all my life," Brent Mabe said before the show.
"You're going to see fourth- and fifth- and,
probably, sixth-generation Mabes in future shows.
"My son is 14, and
he's not quite the hillbilly that I am. But he's the one
kid in Nixa High who knows all the words to 'Your Mother's
Not Dead, She's Only Sleeping,' an old hillbilly bluegrass
song."
Brent Mabe said the biggest
change he has seen on the Highway 76 "Strip" is
the variety of shows, including a new one this year, for
Branson at least. Cathy Rigby will be starring in
"Peter Pan," which won an Emmy and was nominated
for a Tony during its run on Broadway.
During a three-day visit, I
took in these four shows:
Baldknobbers Jamboree —
The stars are the three comedians, including the
rubber-faced Stub Meadows. The routines are corn pone,
nothing political, nothing off-color:
—"Went into Captain
D's the other night and asked the waitress if she had frog
legs. No, she said, arthritis."
—"My girlfriend has
purty black hair, but she wears long sleeves to hide
it."
Each show ends with a
patriotic medley in which veterans are asked to stand. The
old soldiers love it. Tickets are $30. 1-800-998-8908 and
baldknobbers.com.
Noah the Musical — The
show at Sight & Sound Theatres tells how Jehovah,
angered over the evil ways of man, tells Noah to build an
ark and ... well, you know the rest.
The star here is the set,
which includes a giant ark for the first half. After
intermission, the curtains open to oohs and aahs as the
audience sits inside the ark, with four stories of stalls
filled with animals, some live, some animatronic. They all
nod their heads, wag their tails, shuffle their feet.
Runs through Oct. 31.
Tickets are $52 for adults, $25 for teens, $16 ages 3-12,
and $99 for a family of four. 1-800-377-1277 and sight-sound.com.
Circle B Supper Show —
Put on by the Horn family of singers and players, the show
features the hits of cowboy crooners such as Marty Robbins
and the Sons of the Pioneers. If you like "Red River
Valley," "They Call the Wind Mariah" and
"The Wayward Wind," you'll love this show.
The dinner is barbecue beef
and all the fixins'. Priced at $31 for adults and $16 for
kids under 13, the show was named "best bang for your
buck" last year. 1-800-678-6179 and
circlebchuckwagon.com.
The Haygoods — This show
blew me away. The Haygoods are seven brothers and one
sister ranging in age from 16 to 32. They must come from
incredible genes, because all are talented, with looks to
match.
The show opens with one
brother singing from on top of a grand piano and doing a
front flip onto the stage. The energy builds from there.
The award-winning Giddings,
Texas, high school band performed before the show that I
attended, and the members stayed around for the Haygoods.
There was some serious squealing from the girls whenever
Aaron, 16, did a solo.
Tickets are $34.
1-417-339-4663 and thehaygoods.com.
Branson has not escaped the
current economic malaise unscathed.
The Grand Palace Theatre, a
white antebellum mansion-style building that has been a
mainstay on Highway 76 since 1992, has closed.
In addition, the 6-year-old
Celebration City amusement park has shut down. The park
was owned by Herschend Family Entertainment Corp., which
also owns nearby Silver Dollar City, an Ozark-themed park.
The amusement park
"didn't meet our financial expectations," said
Lisa Rau, spokeswoman for Herschend.
"We are watching the
economy and will determine the best usage for that area.
The whole area is upward of 200 acres, and the park was
using only 50. We have been studying various family
activity options. An aquarium is one of the
suggestions."
Lennon, the marketing VP,
added that "clearly, things come and go in
Branson." But some things, like the Mabes, remain the
same.
Brent Mabe said: "You
think the dumb ol' hillbilly always gets one pulled on
him. But he usually gets the last laugh."
———
BREAKFAST, LUNCH AND DINNER
IN BRANSON
It used to be that you
could get anything you wanted to eat in Branson, as long
as it was fried. But a day's worth of meals found that has
changed, much for the better.
Breakfast — Billy Gail's
Cafe boasts, "We do breakfast best." I agree.
Buttermilk pancakes ($5.95 for a full stack), are as big
as hubcaps. The breakfast burrito ($6.75) had two eggs,
green and red peppers, onions, and a choice of bacon,
sausage or ham, wrapped in a tortilla shell that was
crispy on the outside. Billy Gail's is in an ancient
roadside service station at 5291 Highway 265, one-third
mile south of Highway 76; 1-417-338-8883.
Lunch — The sign out
front of Chester's Restaurant promises "stuffed
burgers." The Chrissy is stuffed with brown
sugar-baked beans and bacon, the Jeramy has whole roasted
green chiles, crispy bacon and provolone and the Perry has
fresh sliced jalapenos, crumbled blue cheese and hot
sauce. I went for the latter ($10.95) and couldn't eat it
all because I also tried the flash-fried spinach appetizer
($6.95) and the blue pear salad ($7.95) with fresh pear,
blue cheese crumbles and candied pecans. What a pig out!
Chester's is at 1166 West Highway 76 on The Strip;
1-417-334-7838 and eatatchesters.com
Dinner — The Candlestick
Inn is on the edge of a cliff overlooking Lake Taneycomo
and the new Branson Landing complex in the historic
downtown. The inn has been around since 1962, and it
annually is voted best restaurant, best romantic dinner,
best view and best outdoor dining. Only thing fried here
is the calamari appetizer ($13). The special entree the
night I arrived was a 10-ounce filet stuffed with
mushrooms and shrimp. A bit pricey at $44, but, my, it was
nice. 127 Taney Street; 417-334-3633 or candlestickinn.com.
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