Review: National Harvest & Cowboy Festival Rocks Silver Dollar City

If you want to see one of the most amazing displays of color, you will be thrilled to attend the National Harvest & Cowboy Festival held each fall in beautiful Branson Missouri. You will see hundreds of cowboys sauntering about, as if the entire cast of Oklahoma suddenly blew in with the wind. This is certainly the most gorgeous display of autumn colors I have ever seen in my life.

I love Branson, and I love Silver Dollar City amusement park. The park gained much public notice when the Clampett family of CBS-TV's The Beverly Hillbillies decided to pay a visit to Silver Dollar City (treated as an actual town, rather than a theme park) to start off the 1969-1970 season. The plotline involved Granny (Irene Ryan) attempting to find a husband for Elly May (Donna Douglas) back in the hills, while Jed (Buddy Ebsen) socialized with hotel clerk Shorty Kellems (Shug Fisher). They visited the blacksmith Shad Heller, soapmaker Granny Ethel Huffman, and woodcarver Peter Engler, and Miss Hathaway (Nancy Kulp) was seen in the Ozark woods. The Hillbillies were from the area surrounding Silver Dollar City and Branson, and references to Jim Owens and his White River float trip business and some Missouri mountain locations were made throughout the show's nine-year run. Five episodes of The Beverly Hillbillies were eventually shot in the park.

The park is thriving today, just as it was hopping when The Beverly Hillbillies made it famous 45 years ago. There is no end to the entertainment and the magnificent feast for the senses.

The autumn season in Branson has a distinct feel - an aura of wonder and joy not found anywhere else. If you happen to visit Silver Dollar City during its six-week National Harvest & Cowboy Festival, you'll understand. Temperatures are perfect, demonstrating craftsmen show off their skills, live music and dancing fill the streets and a wide variety of delicious food is always on order at one of the most popular festivals in Missouri, if not the country.

The National Harvest & Cowboy Festival harkens back to the pioneer days, as dozens of demonstrating craftsmen create works of art ranging from fiddle making and weaving to soap making and jewelry, all with period-correct costumes and tools. Bluegrass and folk bands play traditional tunes that would have been the soundtrack to the cowboy days of old. Dancers and other performers put on interpretive shows that evoke the pioneer spirit. The food, thankfully, is modern although festival goers may be able to catch a few frontier cooking workshops demonstrating cast-iron skillet or dutch oven recipes.

Featured on Food Network's Chopped and Throwdown with Bobby Flay as well as NBC's Food Fighters, Chef Kent Rollins demonstrates the art of authentic chuck wagon cooking while serving up cowboy stories, poetry and humor from his restored 1876 Studebaker wagon.

Silver Dollar City's charming village-like setting is perfect for celebrating the season with your whole family. The leaves will likely be changing in the surrounding Ozark Mountains, casting the area in nature's most vibrant hues. It's picturesque, playful and perfect for a fall getaway with family or friends.

Held annually in one of America's favorite fall destinations, this fun festival includes:

Wild West Show, back by popular demand with cowboys, horses and Native American dancers

Over 125 Visiting Craftsmen from around the country including Best of Missouri Hands

The Barn Dance...bigger and better than ever

Buck Taylor's Cowboy Emporium and more!

Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show astounded audiences around the world from 1883 - 1913 with thrilling performances celebrating the American West. In addition to creating legends the likes of "Wild Bill" Hickok, Annie Oakley and Calamity Jane, Buffalo Bill's travelling exhibition was so renowned that even Queen Victoria requested a command performance for her Golden Jubilee in 1887.

Now you can experience some of that spectacle and pageantry with Silver Dollar City's Wild West Show, back by popular demand. Join us in Red Gold Heritage Hall during National Harvest & Cowboy Festival* as the spirit of the frontier comes alive! The show is hosted by trick roper and bullwhip artist extraordinaire, A.J. Silver, and features performances from: Nakotah, 6-time World Champion Hoop Dancer; David Rosaire and his Perky Pekes; and the daring feats of Western Trick Riders. A patriotic finale closes the show in grand style with pyrotechnics and a flyover from an American Bald Eagle!