On Sunday May 30, the Branson Veterans History Project conducted its 999^th and 1,000^th interviews, just in time to commemorate Memorial Day 2010.

Interview subjects were Branson/Springfield area veterans Parke Piper of Hollister, who was a drill instructor for the United States Marine Corps and served in World War II, and his brother Guy Piper of Springfield.  Piper was a Navy Seaman, Second Class stationed at the base on Ford Island when Pearl Harbor was attacked. Piper served in the Navy for 21 years and is also a veteran of the Korean War. He is one of the last remaining survivors of Pearl Harbor in this area.

The Branson Veterans History Project has been capturing the stories of veterans since 2004 as part of the Veterans History Project that was originated by Congress in 2000. Their videotaped interviews are conducted by a skilled interviewer, to capture the most compelling moments of their subjects’ wartime experiences. All interviews are copied and sent to the Library of Congress as well as archived locally at the College of the Ozarks.

Below is a segment of the interview with both Parke and Guy Piper.
Interviewer: Dick Erickson  Camera & Editing: Jim Barber



This magical one-mile drive along a path illuminated with more than 175 holiday displays is conveniently located off Shepherd of the Hills Expressway and Roark Valley Road.  The display will be open through January 2, 2010, from dusk until 11pm.

For more information or a printable direction map, please visit ExploreBranson.com.

This inquisitive pair of baby Greenwing Macaws were hatched about 7 weeks ago as part of a licensed domestic breeding program arranged by BransonWebcast.com co-host Dave Hamner and his wife Denise under the direction of Linda Hughes of Rainbow Realm Aviaries in Rhome, TX.  “Linda is one of the best parrot breeders we have ever worked with,” said Dave Hamner.  “We can’t say enough nice things about her facility in Texas.”

As these colorful birds fill out their plumage and grow to full size, they will become highly intelligent and perhaps they will even make an appearance on stage at the Hamner Barber Theater and fly high above the heads of the audience as their parents did before retiring to the breeding program.

A Few Feathered Facts

Greenwings are considered the smartest breed of the large macaws, with an ability to learn things quickly. They are the second largest in size next to the Hyacinth Macaw. Interactive socially with both people and parrots, the Greenwing macaw often possesses a sweet nature. With a life expectancy of 60-80 years or more, they can make excellent life-long companions, but raising a parrot as a pet is not for everyone. Parrots don’t provide unconditional love and a caretaker needs extreme patience and skill to earn a bird’s respect. These birds also require a great deal of physical and mental stimulation, as they are famous for their mischevious nature and need to chew and destroy. A healthy and proper diet is essential, and over a lifetime, raising a parrot (let alone an entire flock) can be extremely expensive.

Help Name The New Babies

The Hamners have devoted the greater part of their lives caring for over two-dozen of these wonderful winged creatures. They truly think of them more as children than they do as pets. With the arrival of these new babies, we thought it would be fun to give our online friends an opportunity to come up with the names that these two Macaws will carry for the rest of their lives. It’s an important assignment, and one not to be taken lightly. Here’s how you can participate…

Enter Today for Your Chance To Win

Send us an email and include only one name for each bird. One is a male, and the other is female. Be creative with your selection and you’ll have a chance to not only claim the title of “Bird Namer to the Stars,” but you’ll also win a fabulous prize package from the Hamner Barber Theater valued at over $100.00 that includes Hamner Barber DVD’s, Magic Tricks, Puppets, Show Tickets and more suprises!

Submit your entry no later than 11:00pm on Friday, August 28, 2009.

The entire staff, cast and crew of the Hamner Barber Variety Show will be given a list of each entry and asked to select their favorite. The entry with the most votes is the winner. Should no entry recieve more than one vote, the Hamners themselves will then determine the winner.

The winner will be announced on the Hamner Barber website on Tuesday, September 1, 2009.

Put your thinking caps on, and send us your names today. Be sure to include your name and shipping address so we can mail your prize package should you be the winner. You may also post comments to this article below, but only name submissions sent via email will be considered for the contest.

Thank you for participating in this feathered fun!