Musical Box of Branson, Missouri Broken

March 5, 2012
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Branson, Missouri — What is, and or was, Branson, Missouri?

What Happened?
The official webstie of Branson declares, “It is a reality that an EF-2 Tornado hit Branson during the early morning hours of February 29 severely damaging some of its businesses and residences.”

The History Of Branson
“Branson is a city in Taney County in the U.S. state of Missouri. It was named after Reuben Branson, postmaster and operator of a general store in the area in the 1880s. Branson has long been a popular destination for vacationers from Missouri and neighboring areas. The construction of music theaters by nationally-known performers along Highway 76 has increased Branson’s popularity as a tourist destination. Branson now draws visitors from all regions of the country, mostly by car or bus. The population was 10,520 at the 2010 census. The Branson Micropolitan Statistical Area embraces Stone and Taney counties.

In 1962 Paul Henning, inspired by a Boy Scout camping trip to the Ozarks, created the Beverly Hillbillies which ran on television until 1971. The first five episodes of Season 8 in 1969 are set in the Branson area when the Clampetts returned to their home. Henning later donated 1,534 acres for the Ruth and Paul Henning Conservation Area near Branson. He also donated the modified 1921 Oldsmobile truck used as the vehicle in the series to the College of the Ozarks where it is on display in the Ralph Foster Museum.

The Presley family became the first to move their show to Highway 76 in 1967 (which would become known as the “strip”), followed a year later by the Baldknobbers. This area would eventually grow to more than 50 theaters – most of them located on Highway 76.

In the early 1980s the Starlite Theater (not to be confused with the current theater by the same name) was one of the first to introduce stage sets, horn section, elaborate costume changes, and music outside of the traditional country music normally played. It helped to launch the careers of Shoji Tabuchi, Doug Gabriel, and many others.

In 1983 Branson began its transformation into a major tourist attraction when the 7,500 seat Swiss Villa Amphitheatre opened in Lampe, Missouri. The theatre, which started out as a venue for rock bands such as Def Leppard, Lynyrd Skynyrd, REO Speedwagon, Steppenwolf, and Ozzy Osbourne, was later renamed the Black Oak Mountain Amphitheatre. It closed in the early 2000s, but had shown that there was a market for large music gatherings”
— Wikipedia

The city went on to say: Even as the media was initially doing its best to appeal to the appetites of its audiences for “blood, guts, horror, mayhem and destruction” yet another miracle was taking place. Thanks to the heroic efforts of too many people and organizations to mention specifically, the effects of the tornado were being mitigated in what might be record time.

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