Plaques to honor entertainers to be displayed throughout Branson
- K.D. Michaels
- 10 hours ago
- 3 min read
Marshall Howden is working diligently to complete a special project honoring are area's entertainers—a project years in the making.
Howden, a former City of Branson Alderman, and the Mayor's Ambassador to the Shows, is also the founder of the Song of Hope Museum.
"After the Mayor and I worked to proclaim 18 holidays in Branson (Mel Tillis Day, Glen Campbell Day, etc.) and submitted freedom of information requests for any other proclamations going back to the year 1990, we decided to create a plaque that listed all of the special holidays," explained Howden. "The Mayor's Musical Holidays initiative was always about making sure Branson celebrates the people who helped make this community what it is."
Throughout the years, a total of 30 entertainers and entertainment families were honored with their own official day, and together they tell the vivid story of Branson's entertainment history.
"One of the realities of honorary holidays, though, is that as the years pass, people can forget when they were celebrated, or even that they were proclaimed at all," Howden noted. "They take something that might otherwise exist only as a proclamation in a file or a memory from one particular day and give it a permanent, visible presence in the community."
Currently there are three plaques proclaiming the Mayor's Musical Holidays. The original plaque is located at Branson City Hall, just outside the City Council Chambers, and the second was placed at the Song of Hope Museum. A third plaque has found a home at the Mansion Theatre. Plans are to purchase more of the plaques to be placed in community buildings, such as the Convention Center and the post office, other civic buildings and many of the theaters in town.
Said Howden, "Our goal now is to take that history beyond the single plaque commemorating all 30 holidays at City Hall and place individual plaques throughout the community, particularly in the theaters, businesses and places connected to those honorees. We want visitors and residents alike to encounter Branson's history as they experience Branson today. These entertainers didn't just perform here. They helped build the identity of this town and these plaques can serve as a lasting reminder that Branson officially set aside a day to say Thank You."
Howden continued, "It is incredibly rewarding to see all of this come to fruition. What began as an effort to honor these entertainers on a particular day has grown into something permanent that people can see and experience throughout Branson. Watching these pieces of our entertainment history find a lasting home in the community is really special."
Following is a complete listing of the Mayor's Musical Holidays:
· April 27: Mabe Family Baldknobbers Day;
· April 27-May 4: Plummer Family Founders' Week
· May 4: Harold Bell Wright Shepherd of the Hills Day
· May 18: Tony Orlando Yellow Ribbon Day;
· May 28: Moe Bandy Day
· June 2: Amazing Acrobats Day
· June 30: Presley's Country Jubilee Theatre Day
· July 11: Ray Stevens Day
· July 12: Roy Clark Day
· July 13: Glen Campbell Day
· July 24: Dino Kartsonakis Day
· July 27: Shad and Mollie Heller's Toby Show Day
· August 8: Mel Tillis Statesiders Day
· August 31: Shoji, Dorothy and Christina Tabuchi Day
· September 27: Pam Tillis Day
· October 8: Johnny Lee Day
· October 16: Sons of the Pioneers Day
· October 17: Jim Stafford Day
· October 22: American Kids Day
· October 23: Bobby Vinton Day
· October 29: Cliff Braschler Day
· November 8: Boxcar Willie's Yellow Ribbon Medal of Freedom Day
· November 9: Oak Ridge Boys Day
· November 19: Glenn Robinson Grand Country Day
· December 1-7: Andy Williams Moon River Week
· December 2: Mickey Gilley Day
· December 3: Day of Yakov
· December 13: Buck Trent Day
· December 14: Barbara Fairchild Day
· December 18: Foggy River Boys Day
Comments