My friend Sara Broers of Travels With Sara, had told me that her home town of Mason City Iowa was the birthplace of Meredith Willson, the composer, musician and playwright of the famous of play the Music Man. I knew that in Mason City there was a museum, and that the Meredith Willson’s home was […]
History The original Surf Ballroom was built-in 1934 by Carl J. Fox. Sadly the original ballroom burned April 1947, but the next ballroom was built by July of 1948 at a cost of $300,000. With its beach club motif, the Surf Ballroom is the perfect name and it was the perfect venue for the first […]
In 1960 when Silver Dollar City opened, the Hershned family brought a group of talented craftsman from the surrounding area together to show their trades. Today, some of the people are 2nd and even 3rd generation, like June Ward who makes candy with her daughter and grand daughter. June though, is a star in her […]
I arrived in Branson a day before the North American Travel Journalist Association (NATJA) conference was to begin. I live six hours north and either I could arrive a day ahead with my friend that I was traveling with, or we could leave at as another friend says, “O dark hundred”. We wisely chose to […]
Yesterday we traveled to Effingham, Illinois to attend a concert. We went to watch the Confederate Railroad and Kentucky Headhunters perform and stayed at the Hampton Inn & Suites. I had not really noticed that this was a “suite” when I booked our lodging, but it was, and when we checked in we saw why. […]