Branson -- It's That Good

We're home from Branson, as of Saturday.  It was even better than we could have hoped Branson would be.  That's especially since we had almost no expectations whatsoever.  Ben, smart-aleck that he is, commented that he envisioned a giant HeeHaw stage.  Not even close to that.

Friday we saw Pierce Arrow which was about as close to country as we saw, but it was really good.  Many  types of good singing, great costumes and a wide variety of people. The comedian, who worked off and on throughout the show, was hilarious and he was clean.  Can you imagine?

And here's an info alert:  Branson is on the Ozark Plateau.  I thought before that Ozark was a perjorative, but actually, it's not.  It's a huge area that goes from Oklahoma almost to the east coast and into the south.  "Ozark" is in the name of about half the businesses in Branson including the "Ozark Trailer Park", (pause for laughter), and no one seems apologetic for it.  Speaking of businesses, I don't think there were any bars there either, or at least not very high-profile ones (the Bible Belt, remember), and I think the people there are even more conservative than they are here in Utah, which is going some.

Why do people go to Branson?  For the shows, I'd say.  There's a lot of talent in Branson.  I even heard Kristen Chynoweth on Glee muse that she might go to Branson.  It's that good.