By Dave Woods

dwoods@joplinglobe.com

When I set out a couple of weeks ago to spend the weekend in Branson and catch a show or two, I really didn’t know what I wanted to see. I wanted to see something different. Something out of the Branson ordinary.

As I motored south on Highway 65, I passed dozens of billboards promoting the newest Ozarks attractions.

Ann-Margret and Andy Williams — seen it.

Silver Dollar City — a great time, but not this time.

Dixie Stampede — always entertaining, but I’ll wait for the Christmas show.

After I settled into my room at the La Quinta Inn at Music City Centre — a great, centrally located place to stay, by the way — I took a short stroll up the strip to look around.

That’s when I saw a sign.

No, not a life-altering sign like the face of the Virgin Mary in a funnel cake, but a big electronic sign flashing a name: the Haygoods.

The sign promised a high-energy variety show, full of fun, live music and dancing. Seven brothers and one sister who sing and play more than 20 musical instruments.

That, I thought, would be something different. What could it be, I thought. The Osmonds of the Ozarks?

The house was packed on the night I saw the show. I sat next to a nice, 40-something couple from Jonesboro, Ark., who trekked to Branson for a week of food, fun and entertainment. We exchanged pleasantries, the lights dimmed.

From the moment the show started, I knew I had made the right choice. This was no ordinary Branson show.

Something for everyone

The show offered up a little something for the entire family, including showtunes, comedy, ’50s rock ’n’ roll, a little Rat-Pack and a few minutes of wholesome country fun.

The Haygoods even wowed the audience with a violin quartet playing the Beatles’ classic “Eleanor Rigby” and a haunting laser-lit rendition of Amazing Grace.

A couple of standout moments in the show included a great group tap/stomp routine and a Motown review that proved white boys really can dance.

The couple from Jonesboro, Michael Ethridge and wife, Lisa, were also impressed.

“I thought it was great,” Lisa Ethridge said after the show. “I think they kept the audience pumped up and going the whole time.”

Michael, a part-time musician himself agreed.

“They are well-trained and very talented,” he said. “The kids in the audience were screaming so hard I thought they were going to hurt themselves. It’s like they are ‘The Beatles.’”

‘A fun, fresh show’

After the show, I managed to get back stage and talk to a couple of the guys.

Patrick, at 28, is now the oldest performing Haygood. He said that they give a high-energy show every night.

“We try to take a creative approach to family entertainment,” he said. “We want people to know that we always have a fun and fresh show ... one your family will remember.”

Tim, 31, has stepped off stage to produce the show. He said they have a lot to offer.

“You’re not going to get corny Branson with us,” he said. “We will play a couple of country tunes, but the show encompasses a lot more than that.”

Tim told me that sometimes the audience reaction to the show is a surprise for older Branson show-goers.

“The audiences don’t expect such a loud reaction to our show,” Tim said. “They expect polite Branson applause, not wild cheering and screaming.”

Branson bound

It wasn’t always wild applause, glitz and glamour of the Branson strip for the family of talented entertainers from Boerne, Texas. The family, including all the children, lived in a small mobile home.

The Haygood kids started out listening to their parent’s Beatles and James Taylor records. Soon afterwards, they picked up violins and learned to play other instruments. They took dance and gymnastic lessons and played their violins at county fairs as The Haygood Family Fiddlers. Soon, the bookings started rolling in.

When the family saw a 60 Minutes segment on Branson’s booming entertainment business, they decided to move to Branson.

“We had a junky old blue van with 180,000 miles on it, and a three-month contract with Silver Dollar City,” Tim said. “Then Silver Dollar City extended our contract and ultimately we spent nine years there.”

They eventually changed their name to The Haygoods and moved to their current location at the Music City Centre.

On the move again

To keep their growing audience happy and attract new fans, The Haygoods have embraced the Internet. Their Web site, thehaygoods.com, attracts thousands of viewers each month.

The group offers CDs, DVDs and other merchandise for sale online. There are Haygoods podcasts and fan message boards. Friends on their MySpace page increase every month and their YouTube videos have been popular for years.

The family purchased webcasting equipment and will soon broadcast live from back stage during their shows. They will even star in their own TV reality show next year on the CW Network.

They also support a charity, Music Gives Back.

“We get sponsors to pay us money to do crazy things,” Tim said. “We give the money to a deserving child or school to buy musical instruments. So far, it’s been awesome.”

Tim stressed that it’s important to keep in touch with their young fans, and the Internet allows them to do just that. He said that it’s been a great ride so far, and they are just getting started.

In the spring of 2009, the Haygoods will move again. The group has purchased the Americana Theater across from Presley’s Country Jubilee. Patrick said they are excited to finally own some real estate of their own.

“We went from a trailer park in Texas to owning a theater on the Branson strip,” Patrick said. “That’s pretty good, huh?”