By Jared Jackson

Within the Galloway neighborhood there are many different communities that are broken up by different subdivisions. One such subdivision is Chimney Hills, and is located by Battlefield Road just east of the Battlefield Mall. This subdivision has been in the mix with a lot of controversy in the last several months due to plans to make a new subdivision in the same area. That new neighborhood is Chimney Rock, and Chimney Hills residents are quite concerned.

“I am worried about the new development and what it may do to the value of the houses in our neighborhood,” said Chimney Hills resident Jackson Talburt. The new Chimney Rock neighborhood is on an eight-acre plot of land where they plan to put 40 single-family homes. This comes in stark contrast to the Chimney Hills community’s fairly spaced out and much larger homes. As Talburt stated, the size and cramped state of the Chimney Rock community is feared to have a negative impact on the housing market in the Galloway area.

On February 10, the Springfield City Council approved a plan to establish a new neighborhood in the Galloway area.

The council voted 8-1 in favor of the development ordinance, with Councilman Craig Hosmer as the sole dissenting vote.

Hosmer, along with Galloway community members, raised concerns about the Chimney Rock development during the meeting. “If the neighbors are right, we may face lawsuits; if the developer is correct, there will be legal issues,” he stated. He tried to postpone the vote, but his attempt was unsuccessful. Hosmer was adamant that the council take its time in making a decision for fear of being sued. As a lawyer himself, he knows the troubles of being taken to court.

Although the negatives seem to far outweigh the positives, Councilman Jenson chimed in to bring a different perspective to the situation. Jenson brought up the idea of Mimosa Street potentially being a benefactor of the rezoning and planning, specifically with the sidewalks there. “We want to make sure the residents have all their amenities,” Jenson said. In addition, the new neighborhood would be better suited for Springfield’s low income families, which had been a previous point of discussion in the council meeting.

The Chimney Rock community is shrouded in controversy, and there likely is no right answer. This situation comes down to perspective. If you come from the perspective of one from Chimney Hills, you probably are not very happy with the new development. If not, you probably see the good in the new development. Either way, it all comes down to how this new development benefits the city as a whole, not one group over another.

BRANSON, Mo – Former Mayor Karen Best served Branson from 2015 until this year; Branson now welcomes Edd Akers, Branson’s new mayor, to serve the city.

Akers is a man with a jolly demeanor; he is full of stories to tell and he tells them with great expression. “In my career I use to work at Silver Dollar City a long, long time ago,” Akers said. He worked there in 1965 with Peter Herschend. Akers’ page on the Branson government website has a photo of him smiling just as he does when he shares his fond memories.

“I decided that there were some things that seemed to be changing that I felt might not be beneficial in the long run. I really didn’t see as much visioning, people looking to the future,” he said. This is the Mayor’s nutshell explanation for why he decided to run for office in Branson. Akers is not new to Branson; he actually said his roots are in Branson.

“I’m a native here, I was actually born in the back of a general store; there weren’t any cars, so the doctor came out by horse and buggy to deliver me,” he said. Mayor Akers said the Branson culture is his favorite aspect of the city. “We have a lot of people that come here, and originally they come here perhaps just looking at the dollars, wanting to make a buck. Then they realize that Branson’s got a culture. It’s family, it’s people working together to get things done. From a Christian perspective, and my faith is a deep part of my life, Branson is looked at by a lot of people from the outside as a light on a hill,” he said.

Akers said he is a person who likes to finish things. He added that he was somewhat saddened by how the Ride The Ducks tragedy was not given a memorial. He said he has ideas about how to aid in giving victims’ family members a place to go honor their loved ones.

Akers said while he does not have any strong voting power, he hopes to see the aldermen, department heads and himself come together and focus on what is truly best for Branson. Those who want updates on any new happenings in Branson can sign up for notifications on their website.

BRANSON, Mo – Branson will be welcoming a new attraction to take place of their Ride The Ducks attraction.

Branson experienced a tragedy last summer that garnered national attention. In July of that year, a “duck boat” with 31 people occupying it sank due to severe storms. Seventeen of those passengers died as a result of the boat sinking. Since then, the event has been under investigation; but, new plans seek to move forward with a new attractions.

Ripley Entertainment Inc’s new attraction is Branson Top Ops. The upcoming attraction will be patriotic themed. An interactive outdoor maze, indoor laser tag and other activities will be available to visitors. The attraction’s website only offers a tease of things to come. According to the website, “Ten percent of all 2019 proceeds, with a minimum amount of $100,000, will be donated to First Responders, specifically to Local Police, Fire Department, and EMS, who put their lives on the line to make the Branson community a safer place to live, work, and play.”

Their website says that more information is coming soon.

BRANSON, Mo – Branson has an addition to the already tourist focused town, Andy B’s Bowl Social. The Operations Manager is tourist minded and wants visitors to have a memorable time.

The new entertainment venue welcomed visitors its first week open during the very first week of February. The franchise now has presence in Missouri with locations in Springfield and Branson. According to its website, Andy B’s focus is fun for all ages. With places like Silver Dollar City, the shows and other family centered attractions, Andy B’s fits in and brings something new.

Cory Meyer is the Operations Manager at Andy B’s. Meyer is responsible for the games, the escape rooms and the front desk. He meets job interviewees at the front desk. He is a friendly and young professional; Meyer’s energy matches that of the bowling alley’s: new, exciting, fresh and friendly. Sitting in the haunted “House of Dread” themed escape room he said,“We are so much more than just a bowling alley. We really look to be an all encompassing social atmosphere.” Meyer said they offer a multitude of table games; while bowling is their main activity, Andy B’s tries to provide something for everyone.

In addition to their two escape rooms, Andy B’s is preparing to open a third one. Meyer said Andy B’s has two karaoke rooms as well that can be rented for an hour, but they also offer free games to visitors looking to utilize their time in between bowling. The free games include Giant Jenga, Bag Toss and others. Meyer said their location is great for hosting events too.

“Birthday parties are very popular here. It’s an impressive venue; seeing the place, it’s very stylish and people want to impress company when they bring them here,” he said. The environment is rich with sound of pins collapsing, colorful television displays, lights and the smell of a full kitchen. Their kitchen’s menu is designed with the sharable concept in mind.“We’re going for the social atmosphere here, so we have a lot of sharable appetizers,” Meyer said. Their menu is a new take on American classics like burgers and other American dishes.

He said his favorite part of working at Andy B’s is the atmosphere. “I love when I come to work, especially when we have live music. It’s just a vibrant atmosphere,” Meyer said. He also stated that it’s a joy to be around people having fun. Meyer said people should come to Andy B’s because there is no way they will not have fun. “There’s always something to do for everybody here. It’s designed to interact with your friends. We’re not a video bar, we’re not [a place] where you’re going to dive your head into your phone or your laptop or anything like that. We want you interacting and creating memories here and you’ll do that,” he said.

BRANSON, Mo – Branson is known for many attractions. Its most notable are Silver Dollar City, its theaters and the Shepard of the Hills outdoor play to name a few. However, Downtown Branson is also noteworthy.

The city of Branson was founded in 1882. Since then, it has been graced with the attention of millions of tourists every year. Highway 76 is home to shows like the “Presleys’ Country Jubilee” and many others. The “60 Minutes” dubbed “live music capital of the entire universe” offers even more to its residents and visitors. Downtown Branson saw more growth with the opening of the Branson Landing on Lake Taneycomo. The waterfront attraction opened in the summer months of 2006.

The Branson Landing is filled with stores like Bass Pro Shops, Sunglass Hut and even a Build-A-Bear Workshop. The Branson Landing Fountains are placed along a boardwalk near a Hilton Hotel property, all of this is right in the center of the property attraction. The Landing is also known for hosting events throughout the year; summers at this Branson hot spot see live concerts ranging from rock to country bands. All of this is enjoyed by local residents too!

Tristan Williams has been a Branson resident for quite awhile now. “I’ve lived in Branson going on 21 years; Historic Downtown Branson is always fun no matter what. Good food, shopping and even the arcade and not to forget fishing on Lake Taneycomo! But my absolute favorite thing to do in Downtown Branson is to go to The Landing, have a nice meal somewhere and then hit the Andy B’s bowling alley and smoke my opponents,” Williams said.

Andy B’s recently opened its doors on The Landing. The area is always changing what it offers. Flavors of food and fun are evolving; an arcade now sits on the lakefront property. Saltgrass Steak House now neighbors Famous Dave’s Bar-B-Que among other restaurants. Mayor Karen Best has been serving Branson since 2015.

“My favorite part of Downtown Branson is the celebration of Branson’s rich history and Branson’s future. Where else in America can you go to a historical museum, be reminded of great things from your childhood and even buy candy and toys from your childhood at the local 5 and 10? Then, you can turn around and get some of the greatest food in the world and walk it off next to beautiful Lake Taneycomo or grab some friends and head over to the Landing to bowl, sing karaoke or shop. In other words, all of Downtown is my favorite,” Best said.

According to the Branson Tourism Center’s website, Branson sees an annual 7.2 million visitors and that number continues growing.