Branson & the Dolly Stampede

We went to Branson which is a fairly close (5-6 hour) drive. I hadn’t been in 20 years. That cliche Branson of 2000 is slightly changed. You won’t see Ray Stevens Theater or Jim Stafford or Andy Williams or Yakov Smirnoff or the Oak Ridge Boys. The last time I went I saw Mel Tillis and Boxcar Willie. Both have passed of course, but name performers are a thing of the past. More Generic performers leaning strongly toward impersonators and Christian theater are the rule of the day (and don’t fear Shoji is still there, too). Trying to find some of the best experiences in the area, we landed on Dolly Parton’s Stampede. Dolly is probably the one artist that is universally loved by everyone now that Johnny Cash has passed (I suppose Willie Nelson is on the list too. The Stampede is dinner theater with a focus on horses and Americana and a history of America with Buffalos, comedy and home style cooking. Think of essentially Wild West and a country music version of Medieval Times. It is unsurprisingly patriotic. I didn’t expect Howard Zinn, of course, at the same time I thought it was a fairly well done Midwest red state take on what makes the country great. I was surprised the competing groups were still being divided by North and South- surely, better terms could be thought of, though of course, it was meant to be innocuous. In recent years, Dolly has changed the name which previously had been the Dixie Stampede. Without a doubt, this is a place that recognizes its audience (older Conservative and white) and I recognize that. But it was fun and it was well done and if it aimed for patriotism, it at least did so in a unifying non-partisan way. Branson style is as much about spectacular entertainment as it is about productions that tend to be heavy handed, gimmicky and preachy. One has to do a certain amount of homework, so it was nice that Dolly’s Stampede held up to her name. The food was good, service solid and the trick riding was fun to watch. I was entertained. If one finds themselves in Branson and looking for something to do, I’d put it in the short list.