BoomerGirl Diary

Finally, a Beatles Museum is coming to the US. Amazingly, there is only one Beatles museum that exists on the planet and it’s in Liverpool.

And guess where this museum is going to be? Branson. Yes, you heard me right. Lovely Branson, Missouri. Home of the Starlite Theatre, where the ultimate tribute band, the Liverpool Legends have settled. Founder of this tribute band is Louise Harrison, sister of the late George Harrison.

Louise Harrison and the Liverpool Legends (photo from Branson Daily News)

I haven’t been to Branson for a few years, but it used to be the favorite get-away spot for me and my family back in the 80’s, when we owned a campsite at a place called Jellystone Park. Branson is only a four hour drive from Kansas City, so we could drive down there on a Friday and spend the weekend at the Yogi Bear-themed park and visit the attractions of the gorgeous surrounding Ozark hills. In those days, it was a reasonable place to visit, not too many tourists. When the big boom started happening there and suddenly theatres were popping up all over the small area, it lost its appeal for us. A drive down the main highway that used to take a few minutes, could now take over an hour to maneuver. I could never have imagined then, that a place of honor for the Beatles could be in it’s future.

Ok, enough reminiscing, now back to Louise. Since she has so much memorabilia it only makes sense to put a museum inside the beautiful Starlite Theatre where the band has performed since 2006. She has been accumulating her personal collection since the 60’s, which includes such items as letters of rejection from radio stations saying they weren’t interested in playing music by the Beatles. There will be a wide range of Beatles items from around the world and it will be a bigger display than the Liverpool museum.

photo from KSPR news

The Starlite Theatre is 19,650 square feet of glass, which creates a five-story atrium. Since it is Beatles-themed it has strawberry fields, flying yellow submarines, and red London phone booths, along with Penny Lane and the Abbey Road crosswalk.

Plans are for the museum to be open and ready for the next spring season in March of 2009, but could be ready by this fall, if all goes well. This should attract people to Branson who have never had the desire to go there before. It might even get me back down there.

Until next time, rock on and be excellent to each other… Penny