Two Branson Weeks With James

Well, I really don’t know how to begin to tell about these two weeks. It has been busy, fun, tiring, enjoyable, hectic and awesome. We did something special each day and spent time playing games. James learned a couple of new card games. We taught him Hearts and also Pinochle. He picked up the rules easily and is doing well.

We stayed at the Palace View by Spinnaker timeshare for the first week. James relished in the fact that he had a whole side with kitchen to himself, even though he didn’t cook. We played 3 games of Bingo one day at the activity center but we didn’t win anything. We went to the BBQ dinner at the resort and listened to a variety of songs by different folks promoting their individual shows for us to go to. James chose Jim Owens. We think it was because of the 13 year old grand-daughter. It was a morning show and very family oriented. There was music, some dancing and comedy. I think we all enjoyed it.

We watched two movies on the big IMAX screen: Deep Sea and Ozarks Legacy & Legend. Bob & I liked the Ozarks best because we were quite tired & sleepy watching the fish. James also met his friend from 4 years ago. I don’t think the friend remembered him.

James also purchased a helicopter to fly and spent time at the unit learning how it worked. He practiced making it fly and then come back to him so he could catch it. It is plastic and does not use batteries but uses a rubber band. James requested we go to the Veteran’s Museum, so we spent a couple of hours viewing the exhibits there. It is a private museum and had many uniforms from all the different wars.

We did our morning walks each day but James pooped out on us after two days. Since Branson is in the mountains we found that there was not level ground to walk on so we started doing some inclines. We did often stay up late playing games but we didn’t need an alarm since we were relaxing. The hardest part was the adjustments James had to make. As typical he thought we were going to pay for Silver Dollar City ($150), race cars ($9 for 5 minutes), ride the ducks (we were doing that the second week) and miniature golf. There are so many things to do in Branson. Being thirteen and wanting to do everything is really tough.

We packed up everything on Saturday, June 21st and spent the better part of the day at the Branson Convention Center. There was a RC Craze. It was put on by hobby shops in the area and they had planes, cars, helicopters and trains. It was not well attended which gave James the opportunity to spend time running the race cars and practice flying on a simulator without having to wait in line. It was interesting and fun to watch. There were two flight simulators. One was for practicing to fly your own model plane and the other was actual full size planes.



On Sunday we checked into the Ramada for the Elderhostel after attending church at one of the theaters. We ate lunch at a steakhouse and then drove past the Wyndham timeshare where we stayed 4 years ago. We stopped at the top of the dam to see the lake which has very high water. One of the parks was closed and where we stopped the end part of the walkway was under water. Some of the islands were much smaller than normal and the trees looked like they were growing in water. The lake is so high that the tall boats can’t go under the bridges.

Sunday evening we registered. The name of the Elderhostel is Branson Show Biz Kids. The orientation, evening meal and get acquainted activities were all held in a meeting room at the Ramada. We met our host, Barbara and the Elderhostel program director, Sarah. There were 15 grandchildren and 20 grandparents. We each had a partner that we had to get to know and then introduce to the entire group. Monday we had three sessions and a dinner show. We learned about the background of Branson from Sarah. Then we learned some performance principles by Mark Young who is a professor at the College of the Ozarks. In the afternoon we were entertained by a troubadour, Danny Eakin, who performs at Silver Dollar City.

The dinner show was Dixie Stampede where we enjoyed music, horses and a delicious meal which was eaten with our fingers.


The second day we had two sessions. One was about the fundamentals of acting including body movement, pantomime and character development. It was taught by Lisa Young. The second was a dance studio workshop. I think we thought it the least interesting and informative. As a group we rode the Ducks. That was a lot of fun. Each of us was given a “quacker” and we toured the area around the dam and then took a ride on the lake. Each of the kids got to drive the Duck while we were in the water. We rode the Ducks in 2004 with Susan and James but really enjoyed riding with an entire group. Dinner was at Golden Corral and then we attended the Hamner Barber Variety Show. It was awesome and the kids as well as grandparents loved it. David Hamner is a magician who uses beautiful birds in his acts. Jim Barber is a ventriloquist and comedian who has been on the David Letterman show.

Wednesday we had another session with Mark Young. Then we were blessed and fortunate to have David & Denise Hamner for a 1½ hour workshop and in the afternoon Jim Barber. It was unbelievable to me that they took time from their schedule to have a workshop with us. The kids loved it. We learned about the birds, their eating, their care and how fragile they really are. The Hamner’s brought 2 birds with them for us to see. Everyone received a magic trick and a signed photograph. Jim Barber talked about his puppets and the practice time needed. He brought some in his suitcase and the kids were allowed to try their hand as a ventriloquist. He gave everyone a pair of eyes and also a signed photograph.

Wednesday night we ate at the Grand Country Buffet and then went to see The Acrobats of China. It was amazing and the way they could twist their bodies was unbelievable. Thursday was an easier day. We had a short time with Sarah and then left for the Ricky Boen and Texas Mud Show. Ricky is from Odessa, Texas and is a world champion fiddler. I’m sure that the grandparents enjoyed this show more than the kids. Thursday afternoon we spent preparing for our own “variety show”. Yes, each grandparent and child had to participate in an act of their own choosing that was to last around 4 minutes each. I’m sure there was a lot of worry but it really was fun and I think everyone enjoyed it. We found a reading on the internet about “An American” and presented that. James was also in another skit. The evening was topped off with ice cream sundaes.


Friday morning was the critique of our performances. The judge was Bill Lennon of the famous Lennon’s. He is the seventh child of 11 and is very involved in the new Landing along the lake in Branson including the street actors. He had very kind and encouraging words for each of the kids. Then we said our goodbyes, packed up and headed out. It was truly an interesting and enjoyable experience. Bob & I know we will be back to Branson more frequently because of the family atmosphere they have created.

In order to deliver James to his parents we needed to drive to Oklahoma City where we met Susan, spent the night and then we all went opposite directions on Saturday. Susan & James were headed to her parents in west Texas and Bob & I drove back to Branson to stay another week in a timeshare in Kimberling City. I know this is a long post but it was two weeks worth and we really did a lot. There is a lot more to tell but only so much space. Thankfully my leg and back are still holding up.