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At the buffet at the Black Oak Grill at Branson’s Landing, over grits, biscuits ’n’ gravy, strips of sizzling bacon, sausage patties and scrambled eggs with ham hunks, our eyes met. It was The King himself! And the beginning of my breakfast with Elvis. I had seen him the night before at 2016 the Welk Resort Theatre where the Million Dollar Quartet: Carl Perkins, January Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley were thrilling audiences by recreating one of the most n Courier memorable nights in music history. and felt I was going back to kinder, as an adventure into a part of our We were in Branson, Missouri, in the gentler times. country filled with family fun and heart of the Ozark Mountains where Branson is like a family-style Las the joy of the holiday season. The God, country and family entertainment highlight of the trip for me was sitting Towers are commandments, and Christmas at breakfast next to Elvis. I watched starts the 30th of October. “The King” wolf down his biscuits Before my breakfast encounter, and bacon, and got up for just a Shore which was on my last morning in minute for a cup of coffee. When I Missouri, I wandered around historic returned, crestfallen I notice Elvis North downtown Branson and checked out was gone. I checked the buffet once Dick’s Old Time 5&10, where more again; he was nowhere to be found. It than 50,000 items are on display, seemed, I was told, Elvis had left the 30 poked into some unique antique shops building. Vegas without the gambling, nudity and off-color jokes. Entertainment starts at 10:00 am and runs into the evening hours. We loved the Andy William’s Christmas Show, which featured the Osmonds and the Lennon Sisters, as well as singers, dancers and reindeer, the famous Oak Ridge Boys, with a 50-year tradition of songs and exciting entertainment, and the Presley’s Country Jubilee, with a plethora of zany antics and both old and new country tunes. In addition, we saw a musical interpretation of “It’s a Wonderful Life” and a Broadway-style production of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” complete with elaborate sets and fascinating visual effects. But the pinnacle of any trip to Branson is a day at one of the most acclaimed Christmas destinations in the country: Silver Dollar City, an 1800’s-style park. Here the glow of 5 million dazzling lights, 1,000 decorated Christmas trees, a fivestory special effects tree, a Christmas light parade, and of course, Rudolph, has visitors thinking Christmas in early November. There is a lot of good eating in Branson as well. We had a delicious dinner aboard the Showboat Branson Belle, an old-fashioned paddlewheeler, which journeys past the lush Ozark Mountains on the crystal clear waters of Table Rock Lake. We loved the lunch at Mel’s Hard Luck Diner with their singing waiters, and enjoyed an elegant dinner at Level 2 Steakhouse at the exciting Hilton Hotel. However, our most outstanding meal was at the College of the Ozarks, where the culinary staff of students prepared a gourmet lunch for us. In four days, we managed nonstop entertainment and eating as well Visiting with Elvis in the Heart of The Ozarks Travelscape by scape Roberta Graff


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