‘Big bang’ to punctuate dam’s 50th anniversary w/ Table Rock Dam, lake info & photos

By Wally Kennedy

wkennedy@joplinglobe.com

BRANSON, Mo. — Fireworks in September?

Visitors to Table Rock Dam will be able to see a huge fireworks display Saturday in connection with the conclusion of the dam’s 50th anniversary celebration.

Greg Oller, manager of Table Rock Lake, said, “I have been told this fireworks display will be on the same scale as the opening and closing of an Olympic celebration.

“We’re going to have a big bang for the conclusion of our 50th anniversary.’’

The American Pyrotechnics Association (APA) is holding its annual meeting and convention this week in Branson. Fireworks retailers, importers and suppliers from all over the world are showing off their latest wares. The APA will be staging demonstrations.

The first will be at 9:15 p.m. Friday at The Branson Landing waterfront shopping area. On Saturday, the association will open its trade show to the general public from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Hilton Branson Convention Center. Admission is free.

The convention fireworks finale will start at 9 p.m. Saturday at Moonshine Beach at the north end of Table Rock Dam, which is about six miles southwest of Branson, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the dam. There is limited parking available in the area. The Missouri Department of Transportation, the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will control access and parking in the area.

Alternate viewing locations include Combs Ferry Recreation Area at the end of Route JJ and Old Highway 86, and Indian Point.

Oller said, “This is really not our event, but we are providing the real estate for this to happen.’’

With limited parking, the prime viewing area could be the lake itself.

“We expect a lot of boaters out there,” Oller said. “The Missouri State Water Patrol will set up a perimeter to prevent fallout from the fireworks hitting the boats.”

The 50th anniversary of the dam was officially celebrated in June. The dam rose from the bed of the White River as a flood-control project. It also produces hydroelectric power.