Talk about a unique business hook. The ladies' and gentlemen's restrooms at the Shoji Tabuchi Theatre have drawn rave reviews since he built the theater at 3260 Shepherd of the Hills Expressways in 1990.
In January, a crew from the Travel Channel spent the day filming the bathrooms with a cast of 17 area residents - including some employees - acting as theater patrons. The segment on "Extreme Bathrooms" will air April 22 on the Travel Channel's "Extreme" series.
The Ladies Powder Room features 1890s Empire period wainscoting and ceilings. There are fresh orchids on the onyx sinks, stained glass and crystal chandeliers. The Gentlemen's Lounge includes a mahogany billiard table and black lion-head sinks from Italy.
Tabuchi's journey to fame began when he was in college in Osaka, Japan, and he heard country legend Roy Acuff perform. Shoji came to San Francisco with $600 in his pocket in 1967. He began performing in Branson in 1985.
Shoji, his wife, Dorothy, and daughter, Christina, have begun their season, running through Dec. 13. This year, he's added some morning shows, according to www.shoji.com.
A Titanic touch up
The World's Largest Titanic Museum Attraction is primed - literally - for its first exterior stem-to-stern paint job. Nearly three years after the attraction opened, "it's time the grand dame of Highway 76 got a little touch-up," co-owner John Joslyn said in a museum announcement. Titanic Branson is located at 3236 76 Country Blvd.
Special events are a trademark of Titanic Branson, so the paint project becomes a family event. Kids and adults may explore their creative side on a 6-by-20-foot drawing depicting passengers boarding the ship. The museum will supply paint and brushes 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays during April. The kid-friendly paint washes off.
The 7,000-square-foot attraction has registered more than 1.3 million guests to the self-guided tour of 20 galleries displaying more than 400 artifacts and activities for youngsters. This year, there are several new displays including a valuable cameo necklace and other items belonging to Titanic survivor and American author Helen Churchill Candee.
The annual Titanic Princess Tea Party, which teaches social graces to young women, is scheduled for April 25-26, according to www.titanicbranson.com.
Cleaning company joins franchise
A to Z Restoration, established in Branson in 1981, recently affiliated with the Rainbow International franchise to receive benefits including online training and 24-hour technical support, according to business development manager Laurie Solt.
The company, located in the Hollister Industrial Park, performs regular floor care for customers including Dick Clark's American Bandstand Theatre. It also offers restoration after water, fire or smoke damage, mold mitigation and pet deodorization. "We get a lot of calls for that," Solt said.
Since the affiliation with Waco, Texas-based Rainbow International, technicians have new uniforms, photo ID badges and go through background checks. Some carpet manufacturers will only provide a warranty if cleaning is performed by a Rainbow International associate, Solt added.
An advanced cleaning process used is "rapid structural drying," a technique that extracts water without having to rip out carpeting, Solt said.
Kewpies mean business
This year is the 100th anniversary of Kewpies, the genderless, elf-like creature created in the Ozarks by Rose O'Neill. Thousands of people each year tour Bonniebrook, her stately home off of U.S. Highway 65, eight miles north of Branson.
The 41st Annual Kewpiesta festival and doll show is scheduled April 22-25 at the Ramada Inn in Branson. Organizers with the International Rose O'Neill Club Foundation already have booked 141 rooms including members from Germany, where the Kewpies were manufactured, said foundation President Susan Wilson, of St. Louis.
An open house with free tours of the museum and home at Bonniebrook is slated 1-4 p.m. April 25. Performing at the open house will be 45 students from Columbia's Hickman High School, which has called the Kewpie doll its mascot since 1913. The school's orchestra and choral group will sing Kewpie songs, students will recite O'Neill's poetry, and the Kewpie mascot will be there.
By age 19, O'Neill was working in New York City; she was known as the highest-paid illustrator of her time. She often depicted Kewpies promoting women's suffrage. She later hobnobbed with royalty, made and lost a fortune, and was married and divorced twice by the time she was 33. She died in Springfield in 1944 at the age of 69.
Bonniebrook is open for tours 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Cost is $7. Call (417) 561-1509.[[In-content Ad]]
Kathryn Buckstaff, membership public relations manager of Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce, can be reached at kbuckstaff@bransoncvb.com.
