Thank You for the Music

Tuesday, July 31, 2012--Branson, MO to Harrison, AR

My hotel had scrambled eggs and biscuits with gravy for breakfast.  It was nice to have fewer sweets for a change.  Most of them have had waffles, muffins, pastries, oatmeal, etc., and I have gotten tired of so many sweet choices.

I had one last show to attend before leaving Branson this morning at 10:00.  It was at the God and Country Theater which specializes in tribute shows that feature the music of a famous artist or group.  This was a touring show from Las Vegas entitled Thank You for the Music:  A Tribute to ABBA.  I was surprised at the quality of the production and disappointed at the low turnout for it.  There were fewer than 20 of us in the audience.  The four performers came out with great enthusiasm, good costumes, a nice sound,  and good lighting.  They worked hard, and it must have been difficult for them knowing that they had so few people to see the show.  The problem, I think, is that Branson just isn't the place for such a show.  Everyone here wants to hear country and western music.  The saving grace was that the manager of the Andy Williams Theater was in the audience along with the owner of the production company for this act.  Later, I read on their website that they have regularly had sold-out audiences in Las Vegas.  It's too bad they didn't here.  But the show was good.  They took the songs in the sequence they were written and produced and told what was happening in the lives of the ABBA members in relation to each of the songs.  It would have been exciting seeing the show with a full house.

I drove to Harrison after seeing the show.  It's an older city in northern Arkansas.  I expected it to be a better place to visit from what I had read in a guidebook.  I walked the streets downtown, but there wasn't much else to do.  There is a river several miles south of town with camping and trails, but the trails are linear rather than loop trails, so it wouldn't have been easy for me to walk them.  Instead, I picked out a barber shop from the 3 I found in town and got a haircut.  Unfortunately, it was no better than the cuts I get at home, and, as I usually do, I had to doctor it up after getting back to the room.

There is an Aldi here.  It's a German supermarket chain that is popular in Europe and has been expanding here in the US.  (They also own Trader Joe's.)  Arne and I used to shop at Aldi in Copenhagen.  They are known for having cheap prices, special offers (one-time buys they are selling at good prices), cheap butter, etc.  I bought some chips, some hummus, and some cookies.  Instead of eating out tonight, I ate those in my room.

Steps Walked:  4539